Wrap up: IAEA Latvia review; NNSA minority grants; NNSA cyber exercise; more

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Latvia has made “clear improvements” to its nuclear and radiation safety, according to an agency press release last week.

The government of Latvia requested that the Integrated Regulatory Review Service, which includes IAEA staff members, review the regulatory framework by the country’s Radiation Safety Centre of State Environmental Service and compare it to the IAEA safety standards.

While Latvia does not have nuclear power plants, it operates a disposal site for low to intermediate radioactive waste, and also uses radiation sources in research and medical applications, the press release said.

The DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program awarded seven federal grants to “minority serving institutions” as part of the “consortia grant program,” an agency press release said last week.

“NNSA’s Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program is advancing education opportunities for underrepresented communities,” Jill Hruby, administrator of the NNSA, said in the release. “The investment into minority serving institutions for academic research in STEM education is vital to enable the full talent of our Nation to contribute to nuclear security.” 

The seven awards aim to fund new and old applications of science and technology disciplines in minority serving institutions, such as historically black colleges and universities, to build a more diverse workforce in the nuclear security enterprise, the release said.

The National Nuclear Security Administration announced Tuesday it hosted a cybersecurity exercise in September entitled IMperial Catfish, which aims to improve detecting and reporting processes in the wake of nuclear threats.

This exercise is the third annual exercise of its kind by the NNSA’s Office of the Associate Administrator for Information Management and Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The exercise had representatives from NNSA labs and other divisions of DOE respond to fictitious adversarial cyber actors.

“We are pleased to consider this exercise series a success,” Steven McAndrews, NNSA deputy chief information officer, said in the release. “It allows us to leverage our relationships throughout the NSE, with industry partners, and other government agencies to increase collaboration, demonstrate capabilities, and streamline communication.”

The National Nuclear Security Administration will study  radiological and nuclear risks related to artificial intelligence in response to a White House memorandum issued this week, according to a Department of Energy press release.

The NNSA and DOE will aim to mitigate risks associated with AI systems for national security purposes, the agency said. The memorandum will require DOE to lead safety testing on AI models with NNSA to assess nuclear and radiological risk, and from there coordinate with the U.S. government on assessing other biological threats.

Attorneys for a married couple employed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory last week asked a federal appeals court to overturn a trial court’s unfavorable ruling in their lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccinations.

A brief was filed on behalf of Jeffrey Bilyeu and Jessica Bilyeu Oct. 15 seeking to undo earlier rulings against them by U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley in Eastern Tennessee. The couple sued UT-Battelle, the joint venture between Battelle and the University of Tennessee that operates the lab for DOE. Attorneys for the Bilyeus argue the couple suffered at least “some harm” by refusing to get vaccinated against the illness.

“The district court correctly granted summary judgment against plaintiffs on all counts presented for appeal,” the Oak Ridge attorneys said in August filings. “The parties’ briefs in this court are sufficient to make clear that the issues are straightforward, and the district court’s rulings should be upheld.”