The School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has partnered with the French Embassy to train scientists and technicians in the Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation Toolkit in Accra.
The Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation Toolkit, a computer software, is used in scientific disciplines such as nuclear and accelerator physics, medical physics, and space science to understand the behaviour of particles in a variety of virtual situations without having to rely solely on expensive and time-consuming real-world experiments.
The five-day workshop organized for researchers, students, and professionals at the conference hall of SNAS from March 18–22, 2024, has the University of Paris Saclay and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) as other partners to ensure the successful dissemination and sharing of knowledge and skills on the software.
Addressing the participants at the opening ceremony, the Director-General of GAEC, Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare, emphasized that the program resonated with GAEC’s vision of enhancing the computational skills of its technical and scientific staff.
“The Commission is particularly proud to be a collaborator on this project, as the project’s objective of equipping scientists and technicians in Ghana with relevant computational skills is very much in line with GAEC Management’s vision for its staff,” he said.
Prof. Dampare stated that the Commission’s research efforts over the years have had a significant impact on the nation in critical sectors such as health, food safety, agriculture, and the oil and gas sector.
He indicated that leveraging software tools like Geant4 would further enhance GAEC’s contribution to the socio-economic development of Ghana.
“We look forward to making more modern tools available to the global scientific community, including resorting to computer coding and simulations, especially in the era of the ascendency of artificial intelligence and improved computing power,” he added.
The project coordinator from the University of Paris Saclay, Dr. Daniel Adjei, stated that the launch of the Geant4 program in Ghana in 2022 was the first of its kind in Africa.
He noted that the workshop was made possible through GAEC’s show of interest and urged the participants to seize the opportunity to enhance their careers.
“By staying true to your shown interest, we are here again with the main developers of this code, through funding from the University of Paris Saclay, under the framework of the Direction des Relations et Internationales Européennes (DRIE). We have no other option than to take full advantage of this to make a career out of it and/or to use this powerful tool in our contemporary research,” he said.
One of the instructors leading the training session, Prof. Marc Verderi, Spokesperson of Great4, expressed gratitude to the participants for their keen interest in mastering the Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation and assured them that they would be provided with hands-on practical training throughout the session.
“I encourage you to ask questions so that by the end of the training, you will be well-equipped to use the Geant4 toolkit,” he added.
By: CPRC, CCD
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