On November 14, an agreement was signed between the University of Warsaw and the South Korean KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School. The cooperation will focus on training of specialists in nuclear energy.

– Physics at our university is one of the highest rated science majors in the world. I am deeply convinced that this cooperation will strengthen the didactic potential in both countries – said prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw.

The cooperation between the University of Warsaw and KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS) has been ongoing since July 2020, with the signing of the so-called Memorandum of Understanding. The purpose of the agreement was to strengthen and develop activities in the field of education and student exchange, as well as to conduct educational and scientific projects.

On November 14, 2022, Professor Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw and Dr. Ki Pung Yoo, President of Kepco International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS), concluded an agreement; "Collaborative Academic Program on Nuclear Power Plant Engineering and Technology" which provides for the expansion of cooperation between both universities regarding distance learning and master projects with supervisors from both institutions. Students of the University of Warsaw will be able to participate in online courses prepared by the Korean partner.

– Signing a contract for cooperation in the field of nuclear physics with such an excellent center educating great physicists is a great honor for us and at the same time a response to the needs of educating specialists – said Professor Ju-youl Kim, Dean of External Relations and Head of KINGS Department of Nuclear Power Plant Engineering.

As pointed out by Professor Dariusz Wasik, Dean of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, a South Korean university has extensive experience in teaching in the field of nuclear physics and educates excellent specialists. In turn, the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw is one of the largest and best research and development units in Poland.

– Education in the field of physics or nuclear engineering is offered by several Korean universities. Our university is the only one that provides the opportunity to acquire practical and highly specialized skills necessary in the process of building and managing a nuclear power plant – emphasized Dr. Ki-Pung Yoo.

Courses and summer school

The University of Warsaw already has experience in education in the field of nuclear energy. The Faculty of Chemistry together with the Faculty of Physics for over ten years jointly ran the field of Power Engineering and Nuclear Chemistry, and in October this year the Faculty of Physics launched a specialization in the field of nuclear reactor physics. Second-cycle students of both faculties take part in one- or four-semester exchange programs with KINGS.

– KINGS provides scholarships to our students. In less than two years of the program, five students from the Faculty of Physics and the Faculty of Chemistry took part in the exchange – emphasized dr hab. Agnieszka Korgul, from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, coordinator of academic cooperation between the University of Warsaw and KINGS.

UW students also take part in summer schools organized by KINGS in cooperation with the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). The summer school program includes lectures on the construction and operation of various types of nuclear power plants as well as the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. Participants also visit places related to Korean nuclear energy, including the APR1400 power plant, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and the Korea Fusion Energy research reactor. – We try not only to present the educational offer of our university, but also to provide visiting students with the opportunity to learn about Korean culture – summed up dr Ki-Pung Yoo, president of Kepco International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS).