The coincidence in Granada during the same week of 33 prestigious speakers from 11 countries and 40 students from 8 underlines the international positioning achieved by the 2nd DONES Xcitech School. The School of Science and Technology, organised by IFMIF-DONES and the University of Granada, took place from 21 to 26 April. “We are delighted with the result of this edition because it is tough to gather a panel of world-class speakers in the same space and time,” says Blanca Biel, co-director of DONES Xcitech School.

Among the experts who participated were the director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Steven Cowley; the former director general of CERN, Rolf-Dieter Heuer; the ITER representative Juan Ramón Knaster; the Chairman of the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC), Marek Lewitowicz; the Head of Legal Department at Fusion for Energy, Radoslav Hanak; as well as the Acting Head of Broader Approach Department of this organisation, Susana Clement.

Susana Clement received recognition from the Women in DONES (WiD) collective during the 2nd DONES Xcitech School for her contribution to the development of fusion energy. The award was presented by Pilar Aranda, the former rector of the University of Granada, who received the same distinction last year, and Yolanda Benito, director general of CIEMAT.

“Many thanks to the WiD for this recognition. I am proud to receive it when I am only a few months away from retirement. I am happy to see that young women are taking up the baton and that there are more and more of you,” said Clement.

A significant representation of the WiD collective surrounded Susana Clement, as well as members of IFMIF-DONES and the University of Granada, led by the director, Ángel Ibarra, and the rector, Pedro Mercado, respectively. The event was also attended by several institutional representatives, such as the sub-delegate of the Government in Granada, José Antonio Montilla, and the councillor of the Granada City Council, Vito Epíscopo, among others.

During this recognition also presented Aurora Ortega Moral with the scholarship, who was selected by Fusion for Energy (F4E) to attend the 2nd DONES Xcitech School.

You can watch a video of this event here.

About DONES Xcitech School

IFMIF-DONES and the University of Granada organise the DONES Xcitech School. This conference is primarily aimed at postgraduates and professionals from various disciplines who want to deepen their knowledge of or enter the ‘Big Science’ industry and large scientific facilities, the main themes of the school.

In this edition, three independent courses were organised: one on DONES (DONES in Depth), another on fusion technologies (From ITER to DEMO) and a third on the legal framework and project management in Big Science (Legal Aspects and Procurement in Big Science Projects).

During the event, there was also a parallel outreach programme on related topics for the general public, with presentations on the future of fusion energy and the revolution it represents. One, by Juan Ramón Knaster, representative of ITER, and another by Antxón Alberdi, director of the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia..