ARDENT ignites research careers
The ARDENT (Advanced Radiation Dosimetry European Network Training) project passed its mid-term review exercise with flying colours. At the recent workshop at the Politecnico of Milan, the ARDENT researchers again took full advantage of the networking and training opportunities offered by the project.
“The EU officer and the accompanying expert from the Norwegian Research Council congratulated us on the work done and the progress we are making with the programme,” says CERN’s Marco Silari, ARDENT scientist-in-charge. “All the researchers involved in ARDENT presented their work and we were able to confirm that we are keeping on schedule and delivering the expected results. In some cases, the research programme has even been extended to include new research developments.”
An example is the GEMPIX detector, a sensor for radiation detection that uses a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) gaseous detector with a MediPix read-out system. “GEMPIX will be tested in the coming months at the INFN Legnaro Laboratories in Italy,” says Marco Silari. “It is a potentially powerful new instrument for dosimetry and microdosimetry.”
An important event that took place in the framework of the workshop was a full-day outreach initiative organised as part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Politecnico of Milan, with the participation of about 200 high-school students.
After the official mid-term review meeting, the ARDENT researchers attended a two-day training course on experimental microdosimetry. “The course was also open to scientists who are not members of the ARDENT project,” explains Marco Silari. “The course started with some theory lectures, which were followed by hands-on work on instrumentation for microdosimetry organised by the INFN Legnaro Laboratories.”
Training is an important part of the ARDENT programme and will also cover the managerial, financial and administrative aspects of being involved in an EU project, whether in a research institution or in a private company. “We think that ARDENT's industrial and institutional partners could be really helpful in training our researchers in, for example, making a business plan or enhancing a research project by applying for EU funds,” says Marco Silari.
The opportunities offered by ARDENT also include participation in major conferences in the relevant field of radiation dosimetry where the ARDENT researchers have an opportunity to present the results of their work. At the end of the month, the project’s achievements and research work will be featured in one of the “Special Focus Workshops” included in the programme of the IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium in Seoul.
