As part of the NEA’s engagement with the next generation of nuclear energy scholarship, Director-General William D. Magwood, IV and Deputy Director-General Nobuhiro Muroya hosted students from Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama High School on 28 March 2025.
During the visit, the students discussed research topics, areas of interest and other aspects of nuclear energy, including energy security, safety and the environment. They also learned about the importance of nuclear applications in sectors beyond energy, such as medicine, where radioisotopes are being explored for novel cancer therapies, among other things. Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama High School has a Super Science High School (SSH) designation from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. The designation comes from the school’s specialised science and mathematics coursework, and advanced research activities.
Director-General Magwood highlighted the need for young people to be engaged with the nuclear sector, both as stakeholders and as potential professionals in the sector. With nuclear energy expanding in many parts of the world, the sector needs a growing number of professionals with diverse skills and backgrounds to meet its challenges. The students learned of the agency’s commitment to gender balance in the sector, with prominent female scientists honoured with commemorative plaques throughout the NEA offices.
The students had an opportunity to meet NEA staff who are working on topics they are studying, helping them understand the relevance of their studies and the career possibilities in the nuclear sector.
The NEA has a range of activities through which it engages with students and young professionals, including through mentorships. It works with academic organisations and governments to help member countries develop the frameworks and policies needed to educate and train the future workforce of the nuclear sector. Among its programmes are the Nuclear Education, Skills and Technology (NEST) Framework and the Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology and Policy.
The visit to the NEA headquarters was part of a larger tour for the students that included a site visit to a nuclear power plant and meetings with various stakeholders in the sector.
