The NRL had the pleasure to host the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, and students in the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)'s Rising Stars Program for a tour of the MITR this past Friday. The NEA's Rising Stars program aims to bridge gender gaps and enhance the participation of women in nuclear fields by facilitating access to networks, offering mentorship, and showcasing inspiring role models.

Dr. Gail Marcus (SM '68), the first woman in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in nuclear engineering, in the MITR control room with students in the Rising Stars Program. Photo: Taylor Tune Tracy

Director General Grossi was on campus to deliver the 2023 David J. Rose Lectureship in Nuclear Technology, hosted by the MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering Department. In his remarks, Director General Grossi described the MITR as, "an important tool for the advancement of science and the shaping of some of the world’s brightest minds."

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi with NRL Irradiation Facilities Engineer Andrii Tuz. Photo: Taylor Tune Tracy

Andrii Tuz, an NRL staff member who previously worked at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine during the period of Russian occupation, spoke with Director General Grossi briefly before the tour. He shared his first-hand experience of the ongoing and worsening conditions ZNPP workers are faced with, as well as the continued disappearances of ZNPP workers by Russian soldiers. "The importance lies not just in meeting Mr. Grossi, but in the potential outcome it may bring," explains Tuz. "I believe that the interest from an influential international organization in the fate of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant workers can save lives."