Eighty students who have won scholarships to study nuclear engineering in Russia will quit their education at prestigious Turkish universities and will head to Russia to be among Turkey's first local experts on nuclear energy Today`s Zaman reported.
The students who received the scholarships are currently studying in 30 Turkish universities such as İstanbul Technical University, Middle East Technical University, Yıldız Technical University, Hacettepe University and Gazi University.
The first time Turkish students went to Russia to study nuclear engineering was in 2011 when 117 students were awarded with scholarships.
The students took a written exam on May 12. Those who did well in the exam were interviewed and the successful ones won scholarships to study nuclear engineering in Russia starting in the 2013-2014 academic term.
The students' relevant documents for registration have been sent to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
The students will undertake a five-year undergraduate program, one year of which will be a preparation year. After completing the undergraduate program, they will be able to continue with either a two-year-long or a six-month long master's degree program based on their area of expertise.
The students will work as interns at nuclear plants in Russia during summer months and after they complete their education in Russia, they will be employed by Akkuyu NGS in Turkey, the Rosatom subsidiary established for the Akkuyu project.
Russia's Rosatom will build Turkey's first nuclear power station in Akkuyu, Mersin.
The opportunity for Turkish students to study nuclear engineering in Russia was possible thanks to an intergovernmental agreement signed between Turkey and Russia as part of Ankara's plans to open a nuclear power plant in the country.
The Turkish Parliament approved in July 2010 an agreement between Russia and Turkey for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Akkuyu. According to the agreement, which was signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's official visit to Turkey in May 2010, the two countries will cooperate on the construction and operation of the power plant.