INSIGHTS FROM THE SECURITY OF ADVANCED REACTORS WORKSHOP

The Nuclear Security and Physical Protection Technical Division of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) and The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) INMM Student Chapter hosted the Security of Advanced Reactors Workshop on November 2nd4th, 2022. The workshop gathered nuclear security experts to engage in discussions about the challenges of protecting advanced reactor designs. The workshop events were available to both in-person participants and those connecting remotely, with over 100 participants from almost 40 various institutions. Over 25 students participated in the workshop with 13 students either presenting or moderating at least one session. The workshop featured four keynote speakers: Alice Caponiti, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reactor Fleet and Advanced Reactor Deployment, discussed the roadmap for advanced reactors with a focus on Safety, Security, and Safeguards (3S); Dr. Jean Paul Allain from PSU and Dr. Sola Talabi from Pittsburgh Technical LLC reviewed the PSU-led advanced reactor research initiative Post-Industrial Midwest and Appalachia Nuclear Alliance (PIMA NA); and Mr. Steve Burns, a former United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Chairman, addressed the harmonization of advanced reactors with a regulatory framework. Both in-person and remote participants had the opportunity to tour the PSU Breazeale Reactor, observe a live demonstration of ARES Security's Ghost Robotics Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV), and attend a special community engagement event. The sessions were focused on an array of topics such as evolving policy, regulatory guidance, modeling and simulation, insights from industry and non-government organizations (NGOs), security by design, cyber security, and security for advanced reactor fuel fabrication facilities. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate both the technical knowledge shared during the workshop and the practical insights gained from organizing and hosting the event.