WNU SI Programme Overview

 
The programme requires active participation from Monday through Friday from 08:30 to 17:30 or 18:00. It will include occasional evening sessions and some weeknight and weekend activities. Fellows are expected to participate in both the formal aspects of the programme and in the social activities.

Two of the overarching goals of the WNU Summer Institute are to enable participants to experience practical teamwork and establish lasting bonds with peers from many nations, and to inspire participants. The SI programme uses a range of programme elements to achieve these goals, creating fora for discussions with individuals with different perspectives, addressing universal topics which are of critical importance to the global nuclear industry, and providing the opportunity to socialise informally with your peers from around the world.

The components of the programme will be:

• Faculty Presentations
• Invited Leaders Presentations
• Group Activities
• Technical Tour
• Social Activities

A detailed description of each of these elements is below.

Faculty Presentations
Most mornings will be taken up with a series of lectures lasting around 4 hours per week day. On many days a question and answer (Q&A) session, with time for discussion, will be held with the lecturers late in the afternoon to allow for further consideration of the morning's topics.

Lecturers (or “Faculty”) will address specific topics as part of the planned curriculum of the Summer Institute. The presentations are designed to cover a broad range of topics and to emphasize critical issues related to these subjects.

While some lecturers may include information regarding how these issues are perceived and addressed in different countries or regions of the world, sharing your own knowledge and insight regarding applications to your country or employer will be welcomed and encouraged during the Q&A period and during Working Group discussions (described below).

Invited Leaders Presentations
These presentations, given by senior leaders from major organizations in the nuclear field, supplement or cover areas outside the planned curriculum topics, and are designed to address the leadership aspect of the programme. Fellows will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in informal discussions afterwards. We hope you will take maximum advantage of the opportunities during the lunches, receptions and/or dinners for which these leaders will join us.

Group ActivitiesA major component of the SI is the afternoon group activities. You will participate in two types of group: Working Groups and Forum Issues Groups.

Working Groups
The purpose of the Working Groups is to provide opportunities for a variety of small group activities and discussions, and to enable its members to build relationships with each other so that they function as an effective team. Each Working Group of 10 Fellows - representing a diversity of cultures, nationalities and professional backgrounds – will be led by a mentor. Their role is to facilitate the discussion, ensure that all members are participating, act as a personal advisor or coach to group members who request it, and occasionally serve as a technical expert.

Working Groups will focus on reviewing and discussing the presentations made earlier that day and framing additional questions for the presenters. These questions can be raised in late afternoon Q&A sessions when the Fellows will meet in the lecture theatre with the morning presenters.

You will also work together to complete case studies or other exercises prepared by the faculty. In most instances, each Working Group will be asked to prepare material that will enable them to share the outcome of their deliberations with the entire Institute.

Working Group members will be asked to rotate the duties of discussion leader, note taker, and group spokesperson among themselves. Composition of the Working Group membership will change after three weeks so that Fellows have a chance to interact with as great a number of their peers as possible over the course of the Institute.

Forum Issues Groups
Before you arrive at the SI you will be asked to choose your topic preferences for the Forum Issues Groups from a selection of 10 different topics. The topics are designed to be of interest and concern to those involved in promoting peaceful nuclear uses throughout the world, and will take into consideration the technical, political, social, legal, safety, security, environmental, economic and communication challenges involved.

These groups will discuss and debate the topic for the final two weeks, and at the conclusion of the SI each group will make a presentation to the Institute as a whole, summarizing their discussions and presenting their ideas. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

The task is not necessarily to present final answers to the problems, but to determine what needs to be considered in working toward a solution that will be beneficial from a global perspective. Creativity and fresh thinking are encouraged.

Technical Tour
During the third week of the Institute Fellows will be taken to various significant nuclear facilities.

Fellows will stay in a number of hotels throughout the week, although rooms in Christ Church will be kept for anything you don’t wish to take with you.

Social ActivitiesWe encourage all Fellows to attend the various organised social activities.

The two big events of the SI are the Welcome Reception, and the Graduation Ceremony.

Various other social and recreational activities will also be organised: for example, punting on the river, various evening receptions, and a visit to Blenheim Palace.

Fellows will have plenty of free time in the evenings and on some weekends to organise your own activities with other Fellows.