image: 13th ITER International School
Credit: National Institute for Fusion Science
The National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) will host the 13th ITER International School (IIS2024), organized by the ITER*1 Organization and Aix-Marseille University in France, in Nagoya City, Japan from Monday, December 9 to Friday, December 13, 2024.
The ITER International School (IIS) is one of the largest international school in the field of nuclear fusion, held annually in one of the seven countries and region participating in ITER. It is a place where around 200 graduate students and young researchers from around the world gather to deepen their exchanges and learn in depth about the latest research and development with new technological trends. The School theme changes every year, and the main theme of this year is “Magnetic fusion diagnostics and data science”.
For more information, please see the school's website at https://iis2024.org/.
Background of the School
Fusion energy is a promising candidate for future energy sources because it is virtually unlimited, safe and clean. Current fusion research is based on the collaborative efforts of an international community spread across more than 35 countries, and ITER, which is being constructed in France through cooperation between seven regions of the world (Japan, Europe, the United States, Russia, China, South Korea, and India), is an essential project for advancing fusion science and paving the way for commercial power generation reactors.
The aim of the IIS is to train the next generation of young researchers and engineers who can contribute to research and development in the field of nuclear fusion and related to the ITER project, and to prepare the global human resources base for the realization of fusion energy, a grand project for humanity. The IIS sets a theme each time, and based on that theme, intensive lectures are held to acquire a wide range of interdisciplinary skills and knowledge necessary for ITER and fusion energy development. Another feature of the program is that it is held annually in a residential format, bringing together participants and lecturers from around the world to deepen international exchange.
Summary of This Time
The theme of this year's IIS2024 is “Magnetic fusion diagnostics and data science”. Measurement is the key to achieving fusion energy demonstration in the ITER project, and it is the culmination of a wide range of technologies. And by implementing advanced analysis (data science) of the data obtained through measurement, we can lead to the realization of the fusion energy goal. In recent years, data science, such as AI and machine learning, has shown rapid progress, and IIS will also address this and work on it interdisciplinary.
At IIS2024, a total of 202 students, young researchers and engineers are expected to gather, including 117 from Japan and 85 from overseas. In addition, 17 lecturers active at the forefront of fusion research will be invited to give intensive lectures and facilitate in-depth networking. In addition to universities and research institutions, many young engineers from various private companies are expected to participate in the event, and the conference is expected to have a positive effect on expanding the fusion community across industry, academia and government.
At the press conference on the first day of the conference, representatives from the ITER Organization, Aix-Marseille University, the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), will give an explanation for the School and answer questions.
All lectures are given in English. For a detail of each lecture, please see the website https://iis2024.org/ .
Schedule and Venue of the School
December 9th (Mon.) – 13th (Fri.), 2024
Nagoya Prime Central Tower (2-27-8 Meieki, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City, Japan)
13th floor, Meeting Rooms 3, 4 and 5 (lecture venue)
Main events scheduled for the first day (Monday, December 9th, 2024)
9:00 a.m. ... Press conference (Venue: Meeting Room 14)
9:00 a.m. ... Participant registration begins
10:00 a.m. ... Opening ceremony (Venue: Meeting Rooms 3, 4, 5)
10:30 a.m. ... ITER Special Lecture (Dr. Hiroshi Kamada, ITER Deputy Director General)
11:00 a.m. ... NIFS Special Lecture (Prof. Zensho Yoshida, NIFS Director General)
* The press conference will be held in Japanese with English interpretation. All lectures will be held in English.
* For more details on the schedule, please see the attached document.
[Glossary]
*1 ITER …
is the abbreviation for the device named “International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor”, and the ITER Organization has been established as an international organization since 2007 as the parent body for the project. It is currently under construction in southern France.
Here is the ITER website ⇒ https://www.iter.org/ .