Aravot Daily’s interview with Director of the A. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute) and Professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA, Ani Aprahamian.
-How will the UK grant contribute to AANL and Armenia?
This grant was written with an education and training mission. The result is that we will get two Ge detectors, some electronics, and mostly training of our students and scientists in the operation and science of cyclotrons. The new IBA Cyclone-18 cyclotron is an important focus of this grant. The main collaborators on the grant from the UK are the University of Birmingham and the University of Surrey. In Armenia we plan to collaborate with the YSU and Polytechnic from Armenia. They are both known internationally in nuclear physics. University of Birmingham operates several cyclotrons for isotope production and fundamental research. The grant will lead to two weeks of lectures each from a total of 6 UK professors, hands-on training, and transfer of best practices with regards to radiation monitoring and safety.
-What are the selection criteria of students and researchers to be involved in the grant?
At this moment, we have 20 slots and would like to include all students interested in nuclear sciences + scientists who would like to be retrained or trained in a different field.
-How do you evaluate the perspectives of Armenia’s integration into the international nuclear science community?
Low energy nuclear science is known for the broad range of applications that enable various technologies. For example, a proton beam can be used to do proton-induced-x-ray emission studies of cultural objects to reveal what they are made of. The proton beam can be used to test electronics and to develop new detectors. Today, any ideas that we have must be taken elsewhere (other countries) with accelerators to test them. The beams can of course be used to make new and well known medical isotopes. Irradiation by protons or neutrons can be used to study materials. The beams change the structure of materials making them more resilient or more brittle. Of course, the most important aspect is in medicine. The techniques can be used to produce diagnostic as well as therapeutic isotopes. The basic nuclear science can be applied towards better mining practices to control the pollution of the environment. They can be used to study climate change and many other possibilities in the field of Nuclear Astrophysics. The PET-CT and SPECT allow Armenian doctors and scientists to expand into research areas that they cannot do right now. For example, studying the brain or the impact of pharmaceuticals. Studies of the blood/brain barrier is important to the developments of all new drugs and pharmaceuticals. Armenia is a nuclear energy country and the techniques and methods of nuclear science are essential to Armenia.
-What are the most basic needs and challenges that Armenian science has to face?
All countries have to choose how they want to advance their economies. In Armenia, we have agriculture and IT. RA has typically a highly educated public with regional closed borders that limit the transport of goods. Science and Technology can be transported without borders. Also, each applied science job creates 6 others around it for service and support. Science and technology is a way to grow the economy of Armenia for the benefit for all of the public of Armenia. Not everyone has to be a scientist but scientists will require infrastructure services and associated jobs. The most successful economies of the world became so with the investment in science and technology.
Our biggest challenges are in creating the opportunities and rewards that enable young scientists to stay in Armenia and to thrive here instead of traveling abroad.
To advance science, some of the laws of RA that have been developed to protect the country from abuse and mishandling of resources, do exactly that! Some reform and different classification needs to be made in Armenia for science.The recent national assembly meeting should not have even taken place. A group of disgruntled employees of the national laboratory of Armenia with varying interests push for a public discussion.
We should be discussing how to encourage science and create laws that allow it to thrive.
A major reorganization is needed across the country and special care needs to be taken not to destroy the good things while improving the less practical or detrimental laws. I am ready to help in doing that.
Gohar Hakobyan
‘Aravot’ daily
