Nuclear Modelling 2024

Last week, Cerberus Nuclear had a fantastic time attending the 7th Modelling in Nuclear Science and Engineering Seminar in Manchester. The event was hosted by the Nuclear Institute and was an excellent chance for Andrew and Carl to network and learn about recent developments in the field of nuclear modelling.

There was a large focus on the implementation of AI within the nuclear industry. This related to the creation of both more accurate assessments and more user-friendly programs. We were particularly interested in developments relating to nuclear safety cases, as well as other aspects of nuclear modelling that are applicable to the work carried out at Cerberus on a day-to-day basis.

This seminar was a great opportunity to see a variety of different ideas that the rest of the industry has for the use of AI in nuclear modelling ahead of Orthrus Software's presentation on Cyclone Sage at RPSD 2024 in Orlando next week. Cyclone Sage is an integrated AI assistant within Cyclone, which can aid in the creation of MCNP input decks

Seminars like these inspire us at Cerberus Nuclear to continue our mission to provide high quality technical solutions with an emphasis on creativity and innovation. The development of tools for use in nuclear modelling and data science at Cerberus helps the industry to optimise its workflow, while allowing us to excel in the fields of radiation shielding, criticality safety and nuclear characterisation.

We look forward to attending similar events in the future! Make sure to look out for our blog post about RPSD 2024 in the next few weeks and definitely say hello to us in Orlando if you'll be attending in person!

Fire Safety Training

A group from Cerberus Nuclear recently received fire safety training. Our trainer for the morning was Steve Wilcock from North West Fire Training. The course started with a presentation on fire safety, which included what fire extinguishers to use in the event of a fire and fire marshal strategies.

A huge amount of content was covered as part of the training course, but the team’s key takeaways included:

Doors are a powerful tool in preventing the spread of fire, even if they are not a fire door;
Always check the detector which has gone off, and;
Do not use a powder extinguisher in an office or home environment.

The presentation was interesting and Steve was very engaging! We were particularly in awe of how in sync he was with his presentation slides!

After the presentation, the group had a chance to put what they had learnt to the test by putting out fires using a CO₂ and foam fire extinguisher.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to Steve for delivering a great training course, and to Birchwood Golf Club for hosting us!

Cerberus Trip to the Black Country Museum

A small group from Cerberus Nuclear recently took a trip to the Black Country Living Museum, an award-winning open air museum set across 26 acres in the heart of the Black Country. They had a fantastic day exploring over 250 years of history and treating themselves to lots of chips!

The day started off with a fascinating tour of a 19th century drift mine with incredibly low ceilings and only the equivalent of candlelight to guide them through the darkness. They were given a rundown of various roles within the mine and the treacherous conditions people had to work in.

This experience left the group a bit peckish so they got themselves some world famous fish and chips and set up base in the Elephant and Castle pub located within the grounds of the museum.

Following this little pit stop, they took part in an authentic school experience. This included practising their times tables and reciting the alphabet, as well as receiving some outdated forms of punishment if they misbehaved.

They rounded off their exciting day out with a trip to Mad O'Rourkes Pie Factory, where they enjoyed even more chips and some outstanding pies! It was a very successful trip and a great opportunity for the team to spend some quality time together outside of the office.

University Careers Fairs 2024

Cerberus Nuclear attended two separate careers fairs on the 16/10/2024. John, Thomas, and Zac travelled to the University of Birmingham's STEM Fair while Dan, Sam, and Tom attended the White Rose Industrial Physics Academy Placement and Recruitment Fair based at the University of York.

Both trips were a success! We had the opportunity to talk to lots of interesting people with a wide variety of backgrounds and future career plans. We would like to thank the University of Birmingham, University of York, and the White Rose Industrial Physics Academy for their hands in organising these events and their hospitality throughout.

We love being able to introduce people to Radiation Shielding and Criticality Safety at these types of events as well as talking to those who already have aspirations to work within these fields. Cerberus Nuclear look forward to attending similar events throughout the year and hopefully returning to both of these events next year!

Cerberus Nuclear Stand at the University of York

New Starter: Daniel Murphy

Cerberus Nuclear is delighted to welcome Daniel Murphy to our team!

Daniel joins us after spending a year as a Health Physicist at Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station in Canada. Daniel will be working as a Radiation Shielding Consultant. He has a solid and diverse background in Operational Health Physics and Shielding Design, providing on-the-ground health physics support during running and outage work at Point Lepreau and also having 6 years experience doing shielding calculations for clients across the UK civil nuclear industry and internationally as a consultant.

Daniel is looking forward to playing a leading role in delivering excellent quality work and solving challenging shielding problems for Cerberus Nuclear clients. Welcome aboard Daniel!

New Starter: Thomas Scone

We are delighted to announce that Thomas Scone has joined Cerberus Nuclear!

Thomas has joined us after working as a Teaching Fellow for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, for the last 2 and a half years. Thomas was the Mechanical Engineering Lab Lead for the School of Engineering, managing the design and delivery of various module labs for students. In addition, he developed materials for delivering teaching on ethics in engineering, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and design practises across various modules. His PhD research covered the statistical analysis of large gait data sets and the modelling of magnetic fluids for soft robotic gait rehabilitation.

Thomas will be putting his experience to good use supporting our Nuclear Characterisation team and Innovation Projects, as well as training in Radiation Shielding and Criticality Safety. Welcome to the team Thomas!

First Aid Training

Cerberus Nuclear recently took part in First Aid Training delivered by the team at St. John Ambulance.

Debbie took the team through the training for the "Emergency First Aid at Work" certificate, in what was an interesting and engaging day. Training covered a range of areas such as the use of first aid kits, health & safety regulations, how to remain safe, and active skills someone may need to be an effective first aider. These included situations such a choking, severe bleeding, shock, unresponsiveness, and someone not breathing.

The training was received very positively by the team, with first time first aiders and those renewing their training learning from the most up-to-date recommendations and advice. Many thanks to Debbie and the team from St John Ambulance for the day and we would highly recommend the course to other organisations.

Tour of INTA Technology Campus

Earlier this year, our Radiation Shielding Consultants John, Sam, and Zac visited INTA, the National Institute for Aerospace Technologies in Madrid while attending a FLUKA.CERN course.

They had the opportunity to tour multiple areas of the INTA campus and learn from experts working at the cutting edge of the international aerospace industry.

They visited an anechoic chamber where satellites and aircraft undergo a variety of tests. This includes but is not limited to the study of electromagnetic absorption measurements of materials, electromagnetic characterisation of materials in free space, and measurements of the effect of coatings on radiation or scatter patterns.

They were also shown round the turbojet test centre (picture at the top of the article), where engines are put through rigorous testing to ensure they are suitable for commercial use.

Finally, they explored the astrobiology department and received a lecture on the history of our solar system, as well as some exciting updates regarding ongoing projects at INTA.

Thanks to all those at INTA for providing these opportunities for our team while they were visiting for the FLUKA.CERN course.

Cerberus Nuclear have consolidated our capabilities in a broad range of high energy physics disciplines through our access to the FLUKA code. We are excited to have the opportunity to use FLUKA as a key tool in a variety of projects across the industry.

New Starter: Andrew Weaver

Cerberus Nuclear is delighted to announce that Andrew Weaver has joined the company as our latest starter. He brings with him a wealth of experience working in academic research, gathered during his PhD at the University of Brighton, including a placement at the IGISOL facility at the University of Jyväskylä. During this time, he gained experience in the fields of nuclear mass measurements, ion-trapping and gamma-ray spectroscopy, with the aim of studying low-lying isomeric states in radioactive nuclei. These skills were developed further, along with other technical skills during a post doc at the TITAN facility at TRIUMF, Canada's national particle accelerator centre.

Andrew will be working as a radiation shielding and criticality safety consultant, and we are delighted to welcome him to the team!

Sam and Toby's Charity Ride for the Jacob Billington Trust

Cerberus Nuclear are thrilled to share news that two of the team - Sam and Toby, recently completed an incredible cycling fundraiser in support of the Jacob Billington Trust (JBT).

The JBT is a north west-based charity founded in 2022 for the benefit of young people in the Sefton area. Its objective is to assist young people in accessing music and the creative arts via a number of initiatives, such as: part-funded music lessons, song writing and storytelling sessions, funding for rehearsal spaces and courses, and live events showcasing amazing local talent. One of our employees, John, is also currently a Trustee of the charity.

Over the course of three days, Sam and Toby pedalled over 200 miles from Southport to Hornsea to complete the famous coast-to-coast Trans Pennine Trail. Their journey was filled with incredible views, endless camaraderie, and miraculously, not a single puncture! Daily updates on their progress were shared on their JustGiving page which kept us all on the edge of our seats, rooting for them every mile of the way.

With very tired legs, but high spirits, Sam and Toby raised an astounding £1400, completely surpassing their original target of £1000 which is testament to their dedication and hard work. We are incredibly proud of them both for taking on the challenge in support of a great cause.

At Cerberus Nuclear, we encourage our employees to challenge themselves and to give back to the local community. We are incredibly proud of what Sam and Toby have achieved, and because of this, we have contributed a further £1000 to the JBT.

"Corporate donations play a pivotal role in the nonprofit sector, and we are incredibly grateful to Sam, Toby, and Cerberus Nuclear for their outstanding support. Their combined efforts not only raise crucial funds to support the young people of Sefton, but also spread awareness of our goals as a charity. A huge thank you to you all."
- Sam D'Auvin, Chair of Trustees of JBT

If you’d like to learn more about the JBT and their work, check out the link here.