Dr. Robert Hayes
Associate Professor
Nuclear Engineering Department
North Carolina State University

Abstract

Chernobyl, Fukushima, and TMI generally evoke fear and dread in the general public when it comes to nuclear energy. Nuclear waste disposal is another detractor for many opponents of nuclear technology with the implied conclusion that radioactive waste has no solution. This seminar will demonstrate how all of these arguments against nuclear energy are actually very compelling reasons for the use of commercial nuclear power when a risk based approach is used to evaluate energy supply for modern society. The lecture will quantify radiological risk and compare this metric with those of other risks and so enable a technical basis for safe applications of nuclear science and engineering. The fundamental tenet being an understanding of the risks and how to safely mitigate these without being emotionally driven by fear to reach a predetermined conclusion.