A few weeks ago, the six tier 1 segments of the cryostat base were positioned on an assembly frame in the Cryostat Workshop and readied for welding operations. Using optical metrology, the 50-tonne elements were carefully aligned like so many slices of a giant steel pie, each separated from the next by a 4 millimetre gap to be filled by welding. Before the welders could step on the circular stage, however, one last preparatory step needed to be performed: the "coconut ceremony" which, in the Indian tradition, accompanies important occasions and new starts such as a wedding, a journey or ... a construction project.   On Thursday 8 September, when the last of the coconuts had been broken and shared between all participants, the first welding operations for the ITER cryostat could get off to a start.   Welders work in perfectly coordinated pairs—one operating from on top of the 50-millimetre-thick steel plate and the other, invisible, from underneath.¶ The welding of such a giant component is an impressive sight indeed. Welders, crouching or lying, look positively small on the polished steel surfaces of the segments. With protective masks that are illuminated by the intense blue light of the electric arc, they work in perfectly coordinated pairs—one operating from on top of the 50-millimetre-thick steel plate and the other, invisible, from underneath.   Throwing a bridge between the high-tech world of ITER and the Indian tradition of times immemorial, participants broke coconuts to call upon the welding operations the blessing of the elephant-headed Ganesha, the "remover of obstacles." As each segment is made of two steel plates joined by a series of ribs, the same welding operations will be performed on both the upper and lower plates.When all welding operations are completed on the six tier 1 segments, the pedestal ring (which supports the machine) and the "rim" that runs around the base will be added, thus completing, less than a year and a half from now, the single largest load of the machine assembly—the cryostat base.

Progress on the ITER construction site is spectacular: the Tokamak Complex is rising, columns are being erected on the site of the cryoplant, and all of this is reflected in the mirror-clad facade of the Assembly Hall.

In January 2016, a call for nominations was launched for ITER Scientist Fellows—scientists working in the ITER Members who were willing to apply their expertise to solving some of ITER's high-priority research needs, particularly in the areas of simulation and theory. Nine months later, in early September, the first group gathered in the Council Chamber of ITER Headquarters in order to agree on key issues for research, identify potential contributions from each scientist, and establish working and collaboration methodology.   The 19 Scientist Fellows that form ITER's pioneer group are leading experts from fusion laboratories and universities in Europe, Russia and the United States. They have been nominated by their heads of institutes and appointed by the ITER Director-General for a period of three years, renewable. While remaining employed at home, they will have long-term access to ITER Headquarters and spend part of their time on site working with ITER staff.   "To succeed during ITER exploitation it is essential that the members of the scientific community see ITER as 'their experiment,' and that they begin to make ITER's research program their own," stressed the ITER Director-General during his remarks at the start of the two-day workshop. "As the initial group of ITER Scientist Fellows, you have the opportunity not simply to carry out excellent scientific research, but also to shape this program and to take the lead in strengthening the framework that we have put into place."   It is expected that the Scientist Fellows will be spending an average of 25-30 percent of their time on ITER-related issues. They will be working in four priority research areas, defined as ELM control (for Edge Localized Modes), disruption mitigation, edge plasma modelling, and integrated modelling (focus areas which may expand as the program evolves).   During their first visit to ITER from 5 to 6 September, much of the time was spent in breakout sessions with group coordinators. "We discussed what plasma simulation capabilities we hope to develop for ITER and how each scientist sees his or her expertise as being applicable to solving our needs," said David Campbell, who heads the Science & Operations Department and coordinates the Scientist Fellow program. "The result is a multi-annual research program for each area with targeted annual goals."   The result of the two-day workshop in early September is a multi-annual research program for each area, with targeted annual goals. Over time, the principal output of the ITER Scientist Fellow Network is expected in the form of papers published individually or jointly. Fellows will also play an important role in creating bridges with the fusion research community as they bring important ITER R&D issues back to their home institutes, and work in conjunction with Masters' and PhD researchers carrying out projects both at ITER and at home.   "I am expecting that quite a few of you sitting here today are going to play an active, possibly a leading role in ITER exploitation when the construction is complete," stressed Director-General Bigot. "The ITER Scientist Fellows' Network is intended to provide you with the opportunity to start playing an active role now and, in time, to be a member of the community that takes ownership of the ITER scientific program."   The work of the Network will complement the activities of the ITPA (International Tokamak Physics Activity), which primarily coordinates experimental work in support of ITER physics needs—making use of the ITER Members' fusion facilities and collating results.   "Our aim is to establish a halo of specialists working on, and contributing their expertise to, ITER's priority physics issues and propagating the ITER Project's research activities into the fusion research institutes of the ITER Members."   Nominations for the ITER Scientist Fellow Network (ISFN) are accepted on a rolling basis. For questions, please contact @email.   The first ITER Scientist Fellows have been nominated by the following institutes:   CEA Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research, IRFM (France)EPFL Swiss Plasma Center (Switzerland) EUROfusion VR/ChalmersForschungszentrum Jülich - Plasmaphysik (Germany)Instytut Fizyki Plazmy i Laserowej Mikrosyntezy, Warsaw (Poland)Kurchatov Institute (Russia)Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching (Germany)Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (The Netherlands)UKAEA Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (UK)Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain)University of Texas, Institute for Fusion Studies (US)

Last week ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot gave a warm and spirited welcome to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano. This marked the first occasion since 2012 for Director General Amano to see first-hand the progress of construction on the ITER worksite. Both directors characterized the visit as an opportunity to explore possibilities for expanded cooperation between their respective organizations.   Director General Amano's enthusiasm at seeing ITER's progress in construction and manufacturing was apparent throughout the visit. It was especially evident during the worksite tour, which included the Tokamak Pit, the Assembly Hall, the Cryostat Workshop, and the Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility. In the discussions that followed with the ITER Director-General, the IAEA head emphasized the great promise that fusion energy holds, both for its inherent safety and environmentally friendly characteristics and also because the virtually inexhaustible supply of fuel makes fusion "capable of meeting ... energy requirements around the globe."   The timing of the visit was superb, since Mr Amano will open the upcoming 26th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in Kyoto, Japan next month. A special area of focus will be to capitalize on ITER's ongoing progress in a way that benefits not only ITER Members, but also the larger Member State community of the IAEA. As he noted, "ITER's impressive work is crucial to advancing research in this field," which ultimately will have benefits globally, well beyond the ITER membership.   For the past three decades the IAEA has been a central hub for collaboration among countries working to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy. From the time that the ITER Organization was formally established in 2007, the IAEA Director General has served as the depositary for the ITER Agreement. The IAEA and ITER also maintain a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration in areas of mutual interest.   Both directors agreed to explore additional areas for expanding this collaboration, to the mutual benefit of their constituent members. Areas that will be considered include knowledge management of the new technology breakthroughs developed through ITER and global education initiatives in plasma physics and fusion technology.

On Saturday 10 September, close to 450 participants met near ITER, in Vinon-sur-Verdon, for a number of sporting events designed to create and reinforce ties between people working on the ITER Project and neighbours from the surrounding villages. The 2016 edition of the ITER Games offered a broad choice of sporting disciplines for all levels, including football, cross-country running, mountain biking, kayaking, tennis and petanque. The competitions were followed by a bucolic lunch and an afternoon of family activities.

The last of three electrical transformers have successfully passed factory acceptance tests in China and are ready for shipment. China is responsible for procuring ITER's pulsed power electrical network (PPEN), which will feed power to the heating and control systems during plasma pulses. As part of the procurement package, three massive PPEN transformers (15 metres tall, 460 tonnes when completely fitted out) have been manufactured by supplier Baodin Tianwei. The first of these reached the ITER site in June 2016; now, following the successful completion of factory acceptance tests, the last two are ready for shipment. --ITER China