As a feather in the cap of Mangalore University, another research facility, the Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Radioactivity, will be inaugurated on the university campus on June 10.
The Centre will serve to the research needs of various groups working on radioecology and environmental radioactivity. The facilities of the centre would help teach programmes of the university by training postgraduate students of radiation physics.
With Rs. 6 crore funding by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Department of Atomic Energy, and with the technical support from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the centre will function as a national facility, according to a release from the university.
The mandate of the centre covered conducting advanced research studies in environmental radioactivity, radiation protection, and radioecology of national importance. It would collaborate with other institutions and evolve regional coordinated research projects on radioecology and radiation protection, which are of interest to the Department of Atomic Energy and ensure generation of quality data from all project partners.
Focus
The centre would focus on generating trained human resources in areas of low level radioactivity measurements and radiation protection through frequent training programmes and vacation courses.
The centre would help industries of the southern region by testing of commodities for radio activity and issue necessary certificates.
The centre would conduct baseline studies around proposed nuclear facilities and mining regions. It would conduct radio ecological impact assessment studies around nuclear and thermal power plants. The centre is accredited by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. It has infrastructure facility of international standard.
Earlier the university had set up a radioecology laboratory in the University Science Instrumentation Centre in 2006.
The laboratory engaged in detailed studies on different aspects of radioecology in the environs of west coast of India, Kaiga and Goa regions for the last 25 years through BRNS and Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd support.
The laboratory has carried out baseline as well as radiological impact assessment studies around Kaiga nuclear power station and the impact assessment studies are still continuing. Recently, this laboratory has initiated detailed studies on baseline levels of radioactivity in Gogi region which is a proposed uranium mining site in north Karnataka region.
The laboratory is also involved in development of new technologies, the release said.
