The Sterile Insect Technique is a type of pest control that uses radiation to sterilise male insects. Further development work is needed and field trials will help study the effectiveness of the technique in the species of mosquitoes that spread the Zika Virus. Steve Thachet spoke to the Director of the Division for Latin America and the Caribbean in the IAEA's Department of Technical Cooperation, Luis Carlos Longoria.

In 2009, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations produced the Aquacrop model software. Developed by a team consisting of international experts, FAO and the IAEA, the Aquacrop model is used to calculate the yields of herbaceous crops, and is particularly suitable where water is scarce.

Animals and birds can carry highly contagious diseases around the world and cause disease and death in livestock and humans. The IAEA and FAO, with the support of the UN family is working on ways to improve diagnostic capacity of countries with the help of nuclear techniques. These techniques are being used in the efforts to prevent outbreaks like Avian Flu in West Africa and Peste Des Petits (PPR) in Middle East, Asia and Africa.

"Every day I get to work with very smart people who I can learn from. I've found that nuclear scientists and scientists in general approach the world with a set of questions. They're curious about everything. And they tend to be very interesting people. I'm a policy expert and I was involved in nuclear policy matters for the US government for about a decade before coming to Vienna. I worked for the Department of Energy in the areas of non-proliferation, nuclear security and nuclear energy."

"Never in my life did I think I would end up here at the IAEA. Because when you study international development you look for work in developing countries, not in Europe! I came across this by chance and was intrigued to know that the IAEA is involved in agriculture, human health, ensuring food and water quality, and so many other things, not just nuclear power." Adeline was born and raised in Cameroon. She studied political and social analysis and the economics of natural resources in Essen,...

What interests and inspires me is the broadness of nuclear applications from human health to the environment; from energy to safeguards.

The nuclear field is still dominated by men. The way for a woman to keep her position is to be extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter, and be honest and transparent in her management.

"There are a lot of opportunities in the nuclear sector, with the growing number of applications of ionizing radiation in medicine, agriculture, industry and other areas. And also with the promised renaissance of nuclear power. So without hesitation, I would recommend that young women consider careers in this field."

"As a nuclear safeguards inspector I can directly contribute towards world peace through my work."

"When I was working in Ghana, I enjoyed encouraging young girls to pursue the sciences." Of all things, it was on a class trip to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission that she became interested in nuclear science. And that's where her career got started. "When I started working, most of my colleagues were older men who were very supportive. They acted more like mentors than bullies. So no, I won't say I faced any challenges as a woman in this field."