The Fedoruk Center works to position Saskatchewan, Canada, as one of the world leaders in nuclear research, development and training.
The Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Center for Nuclear Innovation, Inc. (The Fedoruk Center) aims to position Saskatchewan as a world leader in nuclear research, development and training through investments in partnerships with academia. It was established in 2011 as a non-profit corporation. Strengthen collaboration with industry to maximize social and economic benefits. This aspiration is backed by the province’s world-class uranium mining industry and cobalt cancer treatments developed in the 1950s by a Saskatchewan team that included Harold Johns and Johns, who have helped tens of millions of people around the world. Based on 70 years of improving people’s health. Sylvia Fedoruk.
The Fedoruk Center is governed by an independent board of directors whose only member is the University of Saskatchewan. The operation is funded by agreements with provincial governments, as well as third-party revenues for nuclear products, services and user access to the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, which is owned by the University of Saskatchewan and operated by the Fedoruk Centre.
Accelerating nuclear science, development and training
The Fedoruk Center’s work consists of four major activities designed to create opportunities for Saskatchewan’s people and academic leaders to participate in nuclear science, technology, or related policy research.
The Fedoruk Center invests in partnerships with post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan to establish new academic leaders that attract young people to pursue careers in the nuclear field. Since 2015, four Fedoruk Chairs have been created at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina, working in radiopharmaceuticals, veterinary nuclear imaging, nuclear imaging detector technology, and neutron imaging. Each chair receives full salary support for five years, as well as start-up funds for research activities. As Saskatchewan now looks ahead to nuclear power in the 2030s, the Fedoruk Center plans to accelerate investment in new academic leaders who will ensure the safe and reliable operation of nuclear technology for decades to come. The plan is to build a support workforce consisting of highly qualified personnel. To come. The Fedoruk Center funds projects led by Saskatchewan researchers that generate nuclear innovation and provide hands-on training to students and postdocs. Over the past 10 years, the Fedoruk Center has awarded more than CAD 7.8 million in grants supporting 50 research projects, helping Saskatchewan scientists explore topics in the nuclear fields of energy, health, environment, materials and social sciences. I have been able to make a wide range of contributions. A competitive call for proposals is held annually and evaluated on criteria of collaboration, feasibility, partner leverage, and potential social and economic impact. One example of an excellent project is the “Practical, Regulatory, and Economic Feasibility of Bringing Nuclear Power to Small and Previously Non-Nuclear Jurisdictions” initiative led by Professor Easam Hussain of the University of Regina. Developing technical capabilities for understanding.” In this project, 14 faculty task leaders from the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina participated with students to analyze future small modular reactor (SMR) installation standards from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
A hot cell with remote control allows technicians to safely manipulate radioactive materials while being protected by the front wall and thick window shielding. Targets are automatically transferred from the cyclotron to a hot cell, where subsequent processing extracts the isotopes needed for a research project.
The Fedoruk Center operates the Saskatchewan Cyclotron Facility, which includes the TR24 cyclotron (manufactured by Advanced Cyclotron Systems of Vancouver), a laboratory for the safe handling of nuclear materials, and the manufacturing and production of radiopharmaceuticals for human clinical applications. We also have equipment for certification. , scanners for small animal and plant nuclear imaging, and the ability to host live specimens for preclinical research and other life sciences. The facility will be accessible to users from academia and industry to advance programs of innovation and education in radiochemistry, nuclear imaging, or therapeutics. The facility also produces radioisotopes for supply chains that support clinical trials, medical applications, and industrial products. It is the only source of nuclear contrast agent fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in Saskatchewan. FDG is required for PET-CT scans for cancer diagnosis and treatment planning at local hospitals. At the nearby Royal University Hospital, more than 3,000 cancer patients per year undergo PET-CT scans using contrast media manufactured at the Saskatchewan Cyclotron facility. The Fedoruk Center is a resource for the public, policy makers, industry, higher education institutions, and other organizations, providing advisory services in the nuclear field. As an example, the Fedoruk Center partnered with the University of Saskatchewan and Discover Saskatoon to host the 11th International Isotope Conference in service to the World Isotope Council. This 2023 event will bring together more than 300 participants from industry, universities, and government laboratories in 21 countries to collaborate with isotope developers and producers in medicine, industry, agriculture, national security, and other industries. Active interdisciplinary exchanges took place with people who use isotopes in the fields of: As a second example, from 2017 to 2022, the Fedoruk Center will provide expertise and management support to the Canadian Neutron Initiative (CNI) Working Group, which is comprised of executives from the University of Saskatchewan, McMaster, and three other Canadian institutions. provided. In 2022, with the support of 16 Canadian universities, the CNI Working Group established a new non-profit corporation, Neutrons Canada. This corporation manages, manages and represents Canada’s infrastructure program for neutron-based materials research, enabling Canadians to address important challenges. Solve social and economic challenges with access to cutting-edge scientific tools. The Fedoruk Center will continue to provide interim management services as Neutrons Canada becomes more established to meet its national goals.
This article will also be published in the 20th issue of the quarterly magazine.
