15th – 24th September 2009: Pruhonice, Czech Republic & Meiringen, Switzerland

An 8 day course, with field visits, held in the Czech Republic & Switzerland

Course Programme : RAWRA_NAGRA_IAEA_Programme_2009.pdf 83 Kb

This eight-day course is presented by ITC in collaboration with the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority of the Czech Republic (RAWRA) and the Swiss National Co-operative for Radioactive Waste Management (Nagra). It is a component of the IAEA Network programme for 2009. The course is designed for geological repository project managers and scientists, regulatory agencies and geosciences, environmental and engineering companies involved with both site investigation and the construction of underground rock characterisation facilities.

The objective of the course is first to take participants through the steps of planning, carrying out and evaluating surface-based investigations at prospective geological repository site. This first part of the course will take place in the Czech Republic. We will then look at the important transition to underground characterisation work at sites selected for detailed evaluation. The second part of the course, which will be held in Switzerland, will thus examine techniques for underground rock characterisation and will also consider the planning of activities in deep rock characterisation facilities.

Course exercises will be an important part of the training process. In the first ‘surface-based’ week, there will be an exercise on designing the initial stages of a site investigation programme. In the second week, there will be two exercises: first, a practical exercise in surface observations of geological structures and features in granitic terrain and the tracing of these features into deep underground tunnels at the Grimsel Test Site in the Swiss Alps; second, a short exercise in defining and prioritising observations, testing and monitoring in a hypothetical underground rock characterisation facility in hard rocks.

During the first week in the Czech Republic there will be a field visit to the Richard underground repository to examine the geology of the site and the engineered barrier systems for waste emplacement. Work in the second week in Switzerland will involve a day and a half at the Grimsel Test Site, working both underground and on the surface.

As with all ITC courses, training will take place in an informal, workshop atmosphere and you will be encouraged to interact with and question the tutors at all times. Each participant will receive a volume of course notes covering all the presentations and exercises.

Course Location

Week 1 of the course will be held at the Hotel Magnolia, Průhonice, a pleasant village on the southern outskirts of the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Next to the hotel is Průhonice park, (under application to be a UNESCO protected area) with 250 hectares of pathways, creeks, bridges, ponds, an alpinium, several thousand varieties of trees and bushes, including a vast collection of rhododendrons, and a 14th Century castle. The park is open to the public and a tour will be organised for the course participants. During the course, we will also be organising a guided tour of nearby Konopiště Castle, a French-style gothic fortress originating from the end of the 13th Century, but with many later additions.

Week 2 of the course will take place at the Hotel du Sauvage, Meiringen, Switzerland, a regular location for many ITC courses. Meiringen is a beautiful small town in the Alpine region, famous (among other things) for its connections with the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.

You will be resident at the Hotel Magnolia from Monday evening 14th September (arrival) to Sunday 20th September, when you will be taken to Prague airport by coach to take flights to Zürich. From Zürich airport it is a further 2 hours by train to Meiringen, where you will arrive in time for dinner on Sunday 20th September. Departure will be on Friday morning 25th September. Saturday 19th September will be a free day, which you may wish to spend in Prague, returning to Průhonice in the evening. Travel arrangements for the transfer from Prague to Meiringen (flight and train tickets) will be your own responsibility but we can advise on timetables and routes. There is a Swiss flight at 0955, which we believe will be the most convenient. If sufficient participants make the same flight connection, we will organise a coach from Zurich to Meiringen.

Hotel Magnolia

Hotel du Sauvage

Course Fees

The course fees cover tuition, accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner and morning and afternoon refreshments for eleven days (arriving Monday 14th September, departing Friday 25th September), plus a course dinner, a wine tasting in Průhonice and a welcome reception in Meiringen. Please note that dinner on Saturday 19th September and lunch on Sunday 20th are not included). Course notes and other materials are also covered by the fee, as are all transports during the course to field sites.

CHF 8100 - ITC Members
CHF 8950 - non-members

The course fee is due within four weeks of your registration. Registration is not guaranteed until we have received the course fee. If you have to withdraw from the course after paying your fee, it will be refunded in full up to 17th August 2009. After this date, it is not refundable.

Application form

You can register on-line using the registration form, accessible here. The number of places is limited, so we would advise you to register early.

Insurance

Please note that participants on this course, or their employing organisations, are responsible for their own personal insurance.

Course Programme

Download the Course Programme PDF :
RAWRA_NAGRA_IAEA_Programme_2009.pdf 83 Kb