Nuclear energy is, nowadays, the only available source to provide the
electric power needed in modern countries, without contamination.
Opposite to thermal power stations, nuclear power plants do not casue
problems to the environment like for instance the green-house effect.
The continuous developments in nuclear-energy technology with
Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) and Nuclear Waste Transmutation using
Accelerators (TNA) probe a solution to the production of very long-live
isotopes steaming from the nuclear reactions.
The Spanish people will decide, along the current century, whether
nuclear energy, either from fission or from fusion (in the future),
will be the main source to provide the energetic needs of the country.
This decision should be based on a detailed analysis of the advantages
and disadvantages on using the nuclear energy. This requires enough
number of experts to study the impact in our enviroment from
the use of current and incoming technologies. The solution to this
request will be a technological challenge without precedents, and needs
enough man power highly specialized in Nuclear Technology and
associated applications.
On the other hand, the Spanish medical system is at the forefront in
Europe in the use and development of diagnosis techniques and cancer
therapy. The development of these techniques is closely related to the
development of Nuclear Technologies. The construction of a facility for
hadron therapy in Valencia is now in the planning stage and will locate
Spain at the level of other European countries. This kind of facility
provides the unique method to treat cancer in certain patients. Besides
therapy, the construction of this facility constitutes a very important
technological step. Experts in the medical applications of Nuclear
Technologies will be mandatory in Hospitals and other diagnosis and
treatment centers, companies for development and maintenance of medical
equipment and in all areas directly or indirectly related to the use of
nuclear technologies for Medicine. Close to the University of Huelva,
at the hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez, there is an electron linear
accelerator for radiotherapy.
Spain has provided and is currently providing resources for the
development and construction of low and high energy particle
accelerators. Andalucía is pioneer in this sector. An accelerators
facility at I. de la Cartuja (Seville) is the first Spanish
accelerators complex and is very close to the University of Huelva,
less than one hour by car. This technological center provides to the
scientific community different particle accelerators: a Tandem van de
Graaf up to 3 MV, devoted to fundamental research and materials
science, a 18MeV-protons cyclotron for radiopharmacy, and a 1 MV
Cockroft-Walton accelerator for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS).
Other laboratories are planned or under construction in Spain. The
"Laboratorio de Luz Sincrotrón de Vallés" is under construction in
Cataluña. This facility will be devoted to material analysis. The
construction of a high-intensity neutron source is planned in Pais
Vasco, and an accelerator for hadron therapy will be built in Valencia.
Moreover, Spain takes part in the construction of the LHC at CERN
(Switzerland) which will be the biggest accelerator complex in the
world and will also contribute to the future facility FAIR at GSI
(Germany).
The professors and researchers participating in this Master collaborate
in all these projects. This will allow an appropriate synergy between
the new students and their professional future at these facilities. As
a conclusion, the researches in "Engineering and Nuclear
Instrumentation" has a main goal to increase the expertise of students
and engineers in nuclear technology. These students will be
prepared to contribute in the technological development of our region.
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