By Lenka Kollar

Last week, I was fortunate enough to finally attend my first International Youth Nuclear Congress. IYNC is a community of young professionals from around the world that gets together every two years to transfer knowledge and promote nuclear technology. This year's conference was in Hangzhou, China. Besides meeting amazing people and listening to some great talks, here are my main takeaways:

Growth in the Chinese nuclear industry is real
China has already connected four new reactors to the grid this year and has 20 more under construction. I knew the magnitude of China's growth in the nuclear industry but it became even more apparent to me by seeing it first hand. The tone of this conference was different than that of the other nuclear-focused meetings that I've been to recently. In Europe, governments are phasing out nuclear energy and in the US, economics and subsidies are favoring natural gas and renewables over nuclear. But in China, nuclear is seen as essential to meeting the energy demand of a large and growing population. The sheer number of Chinese young professionals at this conference - and their excitement - proved the country's commitment to nuclear energy.

We need more female role models
While there were many female attendees at the Congress, from China and from around the world, there was not a single female speaker during any of the plenary sessions. We even had the Global President of Women in Nuclear speaking on a panel session, she should have been in a plenary! I know that plenary speakers are usually determined by the sponsors, but some effort can be made to promote diversity. It's not only that young women, like me, need role models in our industry, but young men also need to see that women should be successful in this industry.

Communication needs support and funding
My main presentation was in the communication panel session, and it was very well attended and fostered a great discussion among the attendees and panelists. One thing that became apparent is that everyone recognizes and agrees that communication and stakeholder involvement are important, but most organizations are unwilling to allocate the necessary human and financial resources to get it done properly. This is because the value added from good communication is indirect and very difficult to quantify. 

Be aware of the listening to talking ratio
I also participated in a workshop on World Wide Business, and we discussed the so-called "listening to talking ratio" between cultures. As the nuclear industry is becoming more and more international, it is essential for young professionals to be aware of the different ways in which culture communicate. For example, we can generalize that some cultures love to talk while others prefer to be polite and listen. Being aware of this and making sure that everyone is heard is important for effective intercultural teamwork.

Hope to see you at the next IYNC conference in Argentina in 2018!

Nuclear Undone's very own expert Mark Reed speaks out about being a nuclear engineer, being different, and inspiring others.

By Lenka Kollar

University of Tennessee nuclear engineering graduate student Alicia Swift had a chance to jump into international nuclear issues from the beginning of her career. As a part of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP), she spent a year at the NNSA headquarters forming crucial components to their current research and future careers at the DOE national laboratories. 

At the 2014 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Annual Meeting, Swift elaborated on shared the global impact of her work while at the NNSA. In particular, Swift worked on the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), where she was responsible for the physical protection of nuclear materials in Central America. Her team conducted training on radiological safety and security and installed physical protection measures in places like Mexico City and Barbados. Swift now conducts her graduate research as Los Alamos National Laboratory in neutron imaging. 

The NNSA Graduate Fellowship provides graduate students and recent graduates an opportunity to work on national security projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The fellowship is a one-year program catered to students interested in nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The fellowship attracts students from technical backgrounds and policy backgrounds and can be a unique learning experience for both.

By Lenka Kollar

Engaging the public in an open dialogue can be one of the most essential elements in explaining complex scientific topics, such as nuclear science. Community and policymaker support are critical for the ongoing successful operations of nuclear plants and other nuclear facilities. Engineers and scientists are in a unique position to be credible leaders and effectively communicate about nuclear energy and technology. 

Organizations, such as the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), communicate with their surrounding communities in a proactive way rather than a reactive way responding only in emergency scenarios. Nicole Stricker, nuclear communications lead at INL, focuses on giving employees tools based on factual information that they can engage the public with. Scientists and engineers are trained to speak to the public to explain research and operations activities to the local community. 

Harsh Desai, ANS Congressional Fellow, noted that, “less than 2% of science is utilized in making a policy, so we need to make sure that that 2% is communicated correctly.” Policymakers have unlimited access to information and scientists and engineers should be actively reaching out to legislators with factual information on nuclear energy and other nuclear technologies. Desai encouraged scientists and engineers to form relationships with their Congressional representative, as well as their staff in order to be a credible source of information. 

The “Focus on Communications” panel was convened at the 2014 American Nuclear Society (ANS) Annual Meeting in Reno, NV.

By Nicholas Thompson

The Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation (NESD) is a student run organization that brings students from around the country to Washington, D.C., for a week over the summer to talk with politicians and policymakers about nuclear engineering education funding, energy policy, and any other concerns nuclear engineering students may have. 

Delegates start the week with writing a policy statement expressing their concerns and interests, which is distributed in meetings throughout the week. Last year, delegates met with key governmental affairs staff at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Areva, high level staff at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE NE), four of the five Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioners (including the Chairman), non-proliferation experts at the Department of State, budget staff at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), staff on the Natural Resources and Environment and Public Works Committees, and over one hundred congressional offices (including a few Representatives and Senators in person). The NESD gives students a voice in government and helps to inform policymakers about nuclear issues while simultaneously giving students an inside perspective on how government works and how to get involved.

Anyone who is interested in policy or government, or just wants to have their voice heard should apply on the website. The program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Applications are due on April 20th. Policy statements from the previous years can be found here and for more information or for answers to any questions, please contact NESD.

By Mark Reed

While researching an obscure topic related to my doctoral thesis, I happened upon multiple references to a 1969 paper in Kernenergie - an academic journal published in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), or East Germany.

Typically, this is every academic’s nightmare – an obscure paper published behind the Iron Curtain a quarter century before the internet in a country that no longer exists. Fortunately, I had an inroad. I emailed a German relative who lives in Weimar and manages IT at the University of Jena. He walked into the library basement and scanned me a copy!

Not only was the paper valuable for my research, but it also made me think; Kernenergie. English, or Anglo-Saxon, is a Germanic language. Kern is the root of kernel, as in a kernel of corn. So in German, “nuclear” is “kernel”.

My next thought was, “Well, that’s interesting. I’m sure kern(el) has different overtones in German, but the English connotation is just so weaksauce – such a contrast with the fearsome connotation of nuclear. Hey, what if we started referring to ‘nuclear energy’ as ‘kernel energy’?”

Nuclear energy has a perception problem, and a large swath of that problem stems from the word nuclear – its place in our history, its media hype, and its resulting connotation. The word has been poisoned. So what if we simply chose a more benign (but equally suitable) word? How would that one superficial alteration – a mere word – change public perception of “kernel technology”?

Instead of imagining bombs and mushroom clouds, people would think of popcorn. If it sounds like something we put it in our mouths, it can’t be that bad. How much more would the public approve of new “kernel plants”? 

Some may view such rebranding as nothing more than cynical politics – manipulating words to “trick” the public. I don’t disagree, but unfortunately, this is how the game is played. Whether we like it or not, nuclear energy is a political issue, and in politics, every word is poll-tested. There’s a reason why “civil unions” preceded “marriage”, and there’s also a reason why “nuclear energy” is more popular than “nuclear power”. Words matter.

Of course, there would inevitably be drawbacks. “Kernel engineering” wouldn’t be nearly so sexy. The “danger” would be gone. We nuclear engineers would lose some of our debonair, James-Bond-like charm - the hallmark of our profession. Nevertheless, even the most prolific “nuclear rakes” would be compelled to sacrifice some of their charisma for the betterment of mankind through clean, sustainable energy.

By Lenka Kollar

A colleague of mine sent me this excerpt from an interview with John McCain on TIME.com and I felt compelled to share it with my readers. McCain talks about many political issues in his interview but this struck me as so honest, and frankly, sad.

McCain did used to be very engaged on the issue of climate change and I remember him talking about building 45 nuclear reactors by 2030 during his 2008 presidential campaign. My fellow nuclear engineering students at Purdue were so excited about this prospect.

According the quote above, McCain basically gave up on his nuclear dreams because the people on the left are going to reject it, even though they are the ones primarily concerned about climate change. This kind of thinking has to stop for us to make any progress climate change. Politicians shouldn't be making these technical decisions but instead taking the advice of the research scientists and engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy to make effective policies. I don't agree with McCain moving on the other (easier) issues because we need practical people like him on the right side of aisle. 

What do you think will make Congress move forward on effective climate change legislation?

By Lenka Kollar

If you're looking for a reason to watch the newest season of Survivor, which premiers tonight at 8/7c on CBS, meet my colleague and friend, Dr. J'Tia Taylor! J’Tia received her PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was the first black female to successfully defend and receive a Ph.D. from the department. She now works at Argonne National Laboratory in the area of nuclear nonproliferation policy - learn more about J’Tia’s work at Argonne here.

J'Tia took a sabbatical from Argonne last summer to compete as a contestant on this season of Survivor, which is set in the Philippines province of Cagayan. The eighteen contestants are split into three tribes according to their skills: Brawn, Brains, and Beauty. Although J’Tia could easily qualify for the Beauty group, she is obviously on the Brains Tribe. 

I worked closely with J'Tia while I was at Argonne and I can vouch that she is strategic and competitive, so I am definitely rooting for her to be the "Sole Survivor" and win that million dollar prize! I took over some of her work when she was gone last summer so she at least owes me dinner if she wins! 

Read this article in full and learn more about J'Tia's involvement in the American Nuclear Society and work with STEM outreach to women on my post at the ANS Nuclear Cafe. And don't forget to tune into CBS tonight at 8/7c!

By Lenka Kollar

Happy Engineer's Week! Here at Nuclear Undone, we encourage women to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and other careers that are traditionally male-dominted. The stigma against women as engineers is slowly changing and this recent commercial from General Electric is evidence. GE's motivation behind this commercial was to "celebrate the childlike wonder in all of us." But actually, they are also portraying that women can be engineers and change the world for the better and also be moms and inspire their kids. This commercial is really encouraging and I hope that it shows young women that they can have a positive impact on the world by designing technologies that help humankind.

Another initiative changing the way women are portrayed is the Lean In Collection on Getty Images. Lean In is the nonprofit organization founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg to empower all women to achieve their ambitions. The goal of the new image collection is to change the way women are portrayed in the work place from the traditional stock photos that feature women in heels climbing a ladder or a baby in briefcase. These photos show all types of women doing all kinds of jobs, including being mothers. Being a proponent of women in technology, the image below is one of my favorites. Let's add some women in nuclear to the collection!

By Lenka Kollar

This article posted on The Engineer provides some interesting updates for the new safe confinement at Chernobyl. The video below provides a detailed graphic and explanation of the construction of the confinement, which is occurring 600m away from the actual damaged reactor. The lower radiation levels in this area allow workers to work up to 40 ours a week. The head engineer describes the project as the most "technically rewarding of his life."

When the shelter is finished in 2015, it will briefly become one of  the largest moving structures on land as engineers carefully slide it along tracks to its final resting place over the damaged reactor. Read more here.


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