Formation | 1964 |
---|---|
Purpose | Nuclear research |
Headquarters | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Region served | Bangladesh |
Official language | Bengali |
Website | Atomic Energy Centre |
Atomic Energy Centre is the oldest nuclear research centre in Bangladesh and is located in the capital Dhaka.[1][2][3] It falls within the campus of University of Dhaka and is under the management of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.[4]
Atomic Energy Centre was completed in December 1964 and was formally inaugurated on 27 April 1965 by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. The facility had a 5000 curie Cobalt-60 gamma radiation source, an IBM 1620 computer, and a Van de Graaff accelerator. On 16 December 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war ended and Bangladesh became an independent country. On 3 March 1972 a scientist was made an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs in charge of atomic affairs. Through a presidential order on 27 February 1973 Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission was formed and the centre was placed under it. The centre has developed Iratom-24 and Iratom-38, two high yielding rice variety and one high yield pulse called Hyprosola. The centre researched ways of preserving food through radiation and the sterilisation of medical equipment.[1]