Participants work on the exercises during the workshopLast week, July 25th and 26th, twelve participants from the US and Europe attended a computer simulation workshop held by the Detection for Nuclear Nonproliferation Group (DNNG) at U-M. The group, led by professor Sara Pozzi, and collaborators from the Polytechnic of Milan, Italy, customized a radiation simulation code from Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, by building in radiation sources such as uranium and plutonium and adding the ability to predict how a particular detector will respond to a radioactive source. Researchers who develop detectors to identify nuclear materials rely on such simulations to guide detector design, testing, and operation.

Workshop attendees ranged from undergraduate students to professors and researchers in industry, encountering the simulation for the first time or learning about new features. “After completing the exercises, the participants felt more confident in their ability to apply the code to their individual needs,” said Marc Ruch, a PhD student in DNNG. Following on the success of this second annual MCNPX-PoliMi Workshop, the group is planning another for the summer of 2013.