A visit to a research nuclear reactor provides students with hands-on learning opportunities.

Students in the second semester of the courses of Computer Engineering and of Production Engineering On June 20th, they made a visit to IEA-R1 Nuclear Research Reactor node Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research (IPEN). The action was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Renato Semmler and its purpose was to take the students of the discipline of Physics II to visit a cutting-edge research institute and interact with scientists, professors, and researchers.

On that occasion, Professor Renato gave a lecture on the subject. Nuclear Research Reactors and their importance to society.. “Unlike power-generating nuclear reactors, such as those in Angra dos Reis, research nuclear reactors are low-power equipment. They aim to produce radionuclides used in nuclear medicine and in various applications in industry, agriculture, the environment, scientific research, and human resource training,” he explains.

In addition, the students enjoyed the opportunity to enter the operating room of a nuclear reactor and to see all of its workings up close, which really caught their attention.

For student Guilherme Miguel Machado, what interested him most during the visit was the process behind nuclear research, from the beginning of the research to the collection of the irradiated sample. “"Getting to know a nuclear reactor up close is very interesting!" "It was an incredible experience, because until then I had only seen videos, but being there in person is totally different," he revealed.

For student Leticia França Rossini, one of the most interesting parts was seeing the reactor up close, learning how it works, and seeing how it operates. "In addition, going through the laboratories to learn more about the research center was quite different, since I didn't know what that space was like or what a researcher's routine was like," she said.

“Seeing the reactor up close and learning how it works was simply unparalleled! What struck me most was how many old devices still exist and continue to function even after all these years since their creation,” said student Caio Rebouças Candolato.

According to Professor Renato, actions like this are of great importance for student learning, since they help them understand... theory through practice. Throughout the visit, the students made connections between the topics discussed in the classroom and the subject matter.

“In wave mechanics, students learn about electromagnetic radiation, and during the visit they came into contact with ionizing electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays. In the hydrostatics section, they entered a space where the local pressure is lower than the ambient pressure and had access to pressure gauges, as well as understanding the fact that the density of water varies with temperature,” the professor emphasized.

The students also had the opportunity to access the software that allows for the control, management, and operation of the nuclear reactor. And, in the Production Engineering section, they visited the neutron activation laboratory, where they observed the entire process and routine operation of the laboratory.