Building on the success of the previous events held in August 2020 and June 2021, the NEA hosted a Global Commencement ceremony on 29 June 2022 to congratulate the graduating nuclear engineering and science students and to recognise their exemplary accomplishments. Organised under the auspices of the NEA Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology, and Policy,  the event gathered luminaries in the STEM field, as well as nuclear energy professionals to share their words of advice and encouragement.  

The first Global Commencement was organised in 2020 to inspire nuclear science and technology graduates entering into the workforce when many commencement ceremonies were cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NEA has continued the initiative as part of its efforts to attract talented young graduates into the nuclear sciences and engineering fields and to welcome young professionals who decide to pursue a career in the nuclear energy field.

29 June 2022, 14:30- 15:45 CEST

Commencement speakers:

• Opening remarks: William D. Magwood, IV, Director-General, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), and Richard K. Lester, Japan Steel Industry Professor and Associate Provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Keynote speech: Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board, TerraPower, with an Introduction delivered by Chris Levesque, President and CEO, TerraPower

• Message from Government "A Challenge for the New Generation": Anna Moskwa, Minister of Climate and Environment, Poland
• Charge from Nuclear Academic Community: Edward Obbard, Senior Lecturer, The University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Commencement panellists:

• Bret Kugelmass (Moderator), Managing Director, Energy Impact Center and CEO of Last Energy
• Jadwiga Najder, Chair, European Nuclear Society Young Generation Network and System Engineer, Oakridge SAS
• Princess Mthombeni, Founder of Africa4Nuclear
• Carlos Vazquez- Rodriguez, PhD Student at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
• Jihye Park, Undergraduate Research Student, Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Vitor Fernandes de Almeida, PhD Student at the Center for the Development of Nuclear Technology (CDTN/CNEN)

Student competition:

Prior to the event, students were invited to send a 3-minute submission in any form on the theme Nuclear and Society: What does this relationship mean to you? The competition was open until 30 May 2022 23:59 CEST. An international jury has selected a winning entry to be shown at the commencement. More information about the competition 

*The competition is now closed. Thank you very much for your participation*