NATO HQ,
Brussels

22 Mar 2007

Interview

with Prof. N. Priest and Prof. M. Burkitbayev, winners of the 2007 NATO Science Prize

KEITH GARDNER (Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Science Cooperation of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division):  Hello, I'm Dr. Keith Gardner, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Science Cooperation in the Public Diplomacy Division at NATO Headquarters.

I have with me Professor Nick Priest from the United Kingdom and Professor Mukash Burkitbayev from Kazakhstan. And these two gentlemen have just received, a few minutes ago, the NATO Science Partnership Prize, which was awarded by the Deputy Secretary General of NATO in a special ceremony and we're very, very pleased that they have been able to conduct the work that they have. And I congratulate both of you for the wonderful work that you've done and for the possibilities that it presents.

Now Professor Priest, or Nick, we'll go on a first-name basis. I was wondering if you could tell us a bit about the project for which you won this prize.

PROFESSOR NICK PRIEST (United Kingdom): The project is really two projects and these projects started about ten years ago. And they're designed to look at the radiological legacy which has been left behind at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, which was the premiere Soviet Union's test site, after the testing had finished. And basically to see whether the land which was left behind was fit for habitation, what land would need to be remediated, and which land people would have to be excluded from.

And it was a project which we started with Professor Burkitbayev, with colleagues in Ireland, in France and we've gone through basically just looking at areas of land within the site, measuring the radioactivity in those areas, working out what the radiation doses would be to local populations and then passing the information on to the Kazakhstan government and  onto local populations so that they work out what to do with the areas.

GARDNER: Very good. Thank you very much. Now Mukash, when you first heard about this prize, what did you think, what did you feel?

PROFESSOR MUKASH BURKITBAYEV (Kazakhstan): (Laughs). This is very interesting because we was informed that we should need a presentation...

(LAUGHTER)

PRIEST: ...concerning our two similar(?) projects, and of course, when I read this information I felt maybe my English not enough to understand something and I read it several times and of course I was very happy.

GARDNER: Very good. Now Mukash, I know that this has been a project of significant benefit to Kazakhstan. In fact, a few months ago when the President of Kazakhstan, President Nazarbayev, was here he referred to this project as a good example of cooperation with NATO, which has been of benefit to the country.

Can you tell us a bit about how this does benefit your country?

BURKITBAYEV: So, I would like to say from the several point of view, that first of all with the financial support of this noted project we have created a good laboratory in my Al-Farabi University and we start to train our local experts in the radiation ecology field and with the help of our foreign partners we trained our students at the Middlesex University, at the University of (inaudible). It is very nice. Because if you know the first UN mission in the Kazakhstan, they put to our attention that there is not any good trained establishment in Kazakhstan. So we have created this is my Al-Farabi University. This is one.

And the second one, of course, all information that we collect within the frame of two projects is very important for the local people. And every year when we made our field expedition we met local people and they unofficially(?) use this land for agricultural purposes,  to (inaudible) production, to animal grazing and everybody asked about the quality of life.

And I remember, and Nick also maybe you remember, once one old man, he came to us specially and he gave us a sample of his water taken from his well, own well, and he come to us with his grandson. And he said, I'm going to pass away, but before that I should... I must, I have to know what water quality and what kind of water will my grandson will drink.

It was very simple words, but for me and for my colleague it was words that put, come into the spirit so deeply.

GARDNER: It really does affect lives, doesn't it?

BURKITBAYEV: Yes, this is right.

GARDNER: Now, Nick, you're both educators, but maybe from your point of view you can tell us a bit about the opportunities for young scientists that have come out. I know Mukash has referred to this, but what's your view?

PRIEST: Oh, this has been a spectacular success in this project. And it's wider than just training opportunities of one's young scientists, because we're now collaborating with the educational authorities in Kazakhstan and changing the degree system within Kazakhstan, so we're cooperating on changing over from the old Soviet degree system to one with Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D.s. We have the first Ph.D. from a Kazakh student, from his university.

We maybe, maybe, it depends, there are several and that, we could have the first Ph.D. student granted a Ph.D. in Kazakhstan. So we have some really good... and then we have another student in Almaty and then we have four more young scientists which we're training in Kurchatov, which is the centre which has responsibility for the looking after the site.

So there's been some really good opportunities there of training young people and giving them the opportunities to travel and to learn.

GARDNER: Very good.

BURKITBAYEV: And mention please, about the stipend... stipends. (inaudible)...

PRIEST: Oh yeah, of course. These people have not only been supported through the project, but they've received NATO stipends as well, which have allowed them and given them the capability of actually being able to study, because it's one thing saying that you know, giving some opportunity and some money for the project, it's another giving some money which allows these people to live while they're doing their studying.

GARDNER: Truly excellent result. I think that's about all we have time for today, but I'd really like to congratulate both of you for an excellent project. I know that it's not easy to do something this practical in a difficult environment, but it's been a tremendous success and we really do appreciate your efforts. So again, congratulations and good luck with your future.

PRIEST: And we would like to thank NATO for the support we've received in the project.