Ammon News - Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) Khaled Toukan opened a special workshop for high school students from outside Jordan on Sunday at the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) in Allan, Balqa governorate.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organized the workshop, which included IAEA experts and 31 secondary school students and teachers from the Sultanate of Oman, Malaysia, and the Philippines who won the IAEA's Nuclear Science and Technology (NST) Education Competition for the Asia-Pacific region in 2021.

The workshop's objective is to inform participants about how nuclear science and technology can help the world achieve the sustainable development goals set by the UN to support global social and economic development.

The workshop includes lectures by IAEA experts as well as visits to Jordanian nuclear facilities such as the Jordanian nuclear reactor for research and training, SESAME, and the Jordan Uranium Mining Company in Swaqa, south.

In opening remarks, Toukan welcomed high school students from outside Jordan and emphasized the significance of incorporating nuclear energy concepts into school curricula worldwide in order to educate the younger generation about the significance of nuclear energy as a clean energy source with multiple applications, including medicine, food, materials science, and desalination.

He highlighted Jordanian achievements such as the Jordanian nuclear reactor for research and training, as well as its use in the production of medical radioactive isotopes, the Jordanian uranium project, and the SESAME Center.

Toukan said that the production of medical radioactive isotopes like iodine and holmium is currently being increased, and that plans are being made to use neutron irradiation technology in the research reactor to produce the radioactive isotopes of technetium and iridium for industrial uses.

For her part, Marina Binti Mishar, IAEA Section Head, Division for Asia and the Pacific, Department of Technical Cooperation, praised Jordan's nuclear program and the knowledge gained in areas related to nuclear energy applications, which prompted the agency to select Jordan to host this workshop as well as other regional workshops and activities.