As part of a U.S. sponsored workshop on nuclear energy, Ambassador John Heffern witnessed the first ever remote connection to a nuclear reactor in the United States on May 23. Experts were able to remotely access the University of Wisconsin Madison TRIGA Research Reactor and conduct laboratory exercises on the research reactor. This event is the first of its kind in the Caucuses; it took months of planning and organization to arrange.

These Real Time Reactor Labs are part of a 10-day workshop sponsored by the United States Department of Energy, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, Yerevan State University and State Engineering University of Armenia at the SEUA campus. The workshop is being taught by Professor John Murphy from the University of Wisconsin Madison, USA. The purpose of the workshop is to train students on a wide range of information related to Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Safety and Reactor Design, as part of a wider commitment to help Armenian institutions develop safety procedures and ensure the continued safe operation of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, press service of U.S. embassy reported.