In this episode we discuss...

• Janice Dunn Lee’s 40-year journey through nuclear from her position in Export Licensing at the NRC to that of Deputy Director General at the IAEA
• Janice’s early career in Export Licensing at the NRC including her work preventing the weaponization of nuclear materials and reactors through IAEA safeguards
• The relationship between Congress and the NRC and the ways in which Congress oversees build and appropriations
• Intricacies of international nuclear agreements including 123 agreements for nuclear cooperation between the US, Japan, and China
• The importance of bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements in helping countries learn the regulations, inspection processes, and licensing in other countries
• The decline of U.S. leadership in the nuclear field against Russia and China and the negative effects this could pose for the industry’s future
• Humanitarian aspects of nuclear and the IAEA’s work in human health including cancer therapy and ebola prevention
• How credible, relevant nuclear advocates can help reignite the US nuclear industry

In this episode we discuss...

• Ed’s background in the US Navy and his personal journey in the nuclear industry
• Ed’s work designing nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, and space crafts for the Navy
• General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls and their respective roles in nuclear construction
• Uranium hexafluoride gas reactors and the processes within
• Nuclear opponents and their negative effects on the construction and licensing processes
• How the US nuclear industry is working to overcome supply chain challenges including replacing medium enriched uranium with plutonium
• Table salt’s important role in recycling spent fuels
• The economics of fuel storage
• A deep dive into fuel and reactor lifetimes
• The plant Ed envisions including its total power output and the regulatory and financial hurdles involved

In this episode we discuss...

• Jarret’s background in journalism and his personal path in the nuclear industry
• How writing about nuclear has evolved over the last few decades
• Key policy measures that helped to define the nuclear industry
• Different nuclear content audiences and stakeholders and their unique communication needs
• Challenges of writing about nuclear at a private entity
• Importance of portfolio strategies and diversification of energy sources
• Challenges of non-standard measurements when writing about fuel cycles
• Driving new communication strategies within the nuclear industry
• A deep dive into media tactics in nuclear industry communications
• Balancing decreasing trends in energy consumption with drive for industry growth
• IAEA and international nuclear audience communication needs

In this episode we discuss...

• Seth Grae’s background in law and personal journey in the nuclear industry
• The origin of LightBridge and its consultative history
• Proliferation risk in traditional light water reactors
• Safeguarding against weaponization of nuclear fuel byproducts
• Fukushima and its impact on the nuclear industry
• Challenges that are driving the future focus of LightBridge
• A deep dive into the design process at LightBridge
• LightBridge’s joint venture with Framatome
• Next steps for commercialization of LightBridge’s new fuel technology
• The importance of new fuel sources for the future

In this episode we discuss...

• Thomas’ personal journey from his position as United States House Committee on Banking and Currency to Ambassador of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
• Thomas’ role in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• The history of Thomas’ company Thorium Power (now Lightbridge) and the work he did with Russian nuclear scientists to improve the fuel cycle
• How nuclear energy actually played a vital role in halting the spread of nuclear weaponry
• Thomas’ work advocating nuclear and his book Seeing the Light
• The minimal human health hazards of nuclear compared to those of other energy sources - especially coal
• Nuclear’s many environmental benefits including the prevention of climate change

In this episode we discuss...

• David’s work as Director for the U.S. Department of Energy innovation hub, Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors
• Core design and refiguration of fuel between cycles
• Influence of temperature on water density and its effect on the reactor
• Inherent safety of light water reactors
• PWR and BWR reactors
• Independent analysis of reactor core design and fuel optimization
• Global trends and interactions in the nuclear field
• Focus of CASTLE, energy innovation hub at NC State
• CRUD-induced power shift and CRUD-induced localized corrosion
• Pellet clad interaction
• Thermohydraulics, dry spots, and departure of nucleate boiling
• The Future of CASTLE and its contributions to the nuclear industry

In this episode we discuss...

• Lou’s background in fusion and personal journey in the nuclear space
• Lou’s work as the national technical director for molten salt reactors
• Stellarator versus tokamak plasmas
• The important roles of neutral beams and pellets
• Challenges in nuclear fission
• Uses of hydro reactors in scientific testing   
• A deep dive into Project Prometheus and space power initiatives
• The resurgence of interest in molten salt reactors
• The Advanced Reactor Technology program within the U.S. Department of Energy
• Common challenges among developers and ways in which we can overcome them
• Interactions of fission products with salt
• Designing for contingency versus replacement

In this episode we discuss...

• Kurt’s background in microelectronics and early interest in nuclear energy
• Kurt’s work as a nuclear fuel materials expert at Oak Ridge
• The importance of modeling in establishing predictive practices
• The value and role of national labs in driving big innovation within the industry
• The Transformational Challenge Reactor Program
• Stagnancy within the nuclear industry and ways in which we can overcome it
• Whether or not advanced manufacturing will have a true impact on nuclear economics
• SMRs and how they can benefit nuclear economics
• Challenges of proving safety within the NRC regulations and guidelines
• Pushing the boundaries of new materials within the nuclear industry

In this episode we discuss...

• Phil's background in nuclear engineering and personal journey in the nuclear field
• A deep dive into spallation and how it occurs
• The Spallation Neutron Source
• The process of conceptualization to commissioning for SPN
• The evolution of the fusion industry over the last 40 years
• Requirements and inherent challenges in achieving fusion
• Different types of pellets and their uses
• Strategies for mitigating damage to the wall of the fusion reactor vessel
• The ITER Home Fusion Experiment
• Challenges in developing fusion across both national science approaches and private fusion companies

In this episode we discuss...

• Alan’s background in the Navy and personal journey in the nuclear space
• The role and history of ORNL in the Manhattan Project and across the broader nuclear field
• Information that can be shared from Navy nuclear experiences to the private sector
• Characteristics of plutonium 238 and reasons for use
• The evolution of radioactive waste disposal
• Alan’s work as Associate Laboratory Director at ORNL
• Creating and implementing a long-term strategic plan for ORNL
• Development of radio isotopes in other industries, like actinium 225 for targeted alpha therapy in cancer treatment
• Development and production of californium 222
• A deep dive into the Transformational Challenge Reactor Project
• Learnings and innovation from accelerated deployment and advanced manufacturing techniques