Radiation officer awarded WINS certificate

The Radiation Officer at the Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology (CARST), Tebogo Kupi, has been awarded a certificate by the World Institute Nuclear Security (WINS) academy. He is the first South African to pass the Nuclear Security Management programme.

Kupi also lectures in radiation and environment security and has working experience as an Environmental Physicist at iThemba Laboratory for Base Accelerator Science, Cape Town. He holds a master's degree from North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, in Applied Radiation Science and Technology.

The Nuclear Security Training Programme forms part of the programmes that CARST offers. Thanks to the various meetings and programmes Kupi had attended, he was capacitated to present short courses not only to personnel at various institutions, but also to assist post-graduate and full-time students.

The World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) is a first-of-its-kind organisation designed to provide a forum to share best practices in strengthening the physical protection and security of nuclear and radioactive materials and facilities worldwide. Launched in September 2008 during the 52nd IAEA General Conference, WINS is bringing together nuclear security experts, the nuclear industry, governments, academia and international organisations to focus on rapid and sustainable improvement of security at nuclear facilities around the world. WINS is located in Vienna, Austria, and is an international non-governmental organisation that receives its funding support from governments, foundations and corporations involved in nuclear security.

When asked about this achievement, Kupi had this to say: "This provided me with unique perspectives on safety and security development best practices, such as integrating safety, security and policy topics into physics, applied radiation science and nuclear engineering curricula, and the use of case studies to highlight the importance of nuclear security culture for technical experts."

The North-West University is a member of International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) of which the mission is to enhance global nuclear security by developing, sharing and promoting excellence in nuclear security education.