Sunday, March 6, 2011

Nuclear News Interview with Shaffer and Angwin

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is a professional society for the nuclear industry. Howard Shaffer has been a member for over thirty years. For much of my working life in the nuclear industry, I was a member of the corrosion engineers' society, NACE International. I joined the American Nuclear Society when I moved to Vermont.

Though the American Nuclear Society has American in its name, it is actually international in scope. For example, ANS just opened a section in India. Howard Shaffer and I both write guest blogs at ANS Nuclear Cafe. Here's a link to Howard's most recent post, and to mine.

The American Nuclear Society also started the Vermont Pilot Project. This project is co-sponsored by the ANS as a whole and by the Northeastern Section of ANS. Howard Shaffer heads the Pilot Project outreach program, which makes nuclear expertise available for advocacy efforts in Vermont. The Energy Education Project (I am director) works closely with the ANS Vermont Pilot Project. In other words, Howard and I still work together.

With all this activity (blogging, Pilot Project), I wasn't totally surprised when people at ANS said they wanted to interview us for an article in Nuclear News. Nuclear News is a monthly publication sent to 11,000 ANS members worldwide. When ANS asked to interview us, I imagined we would be a little one-page interview, tucked somewhere in the magazine.

Instead, Howard and I are delighted and honored to have been the cover story in Nuclear News in February. The article is several pages long, with many quotes from us about the situation in Vermont and our outreach efforts. During February, however, the story was behind a paywall at the ANS website. Now, in March, you can download it and read it in full.

Upcoming Meeting

At the March meeting of the Northeastern Section of the American Nuclear Society, I will present a talk on Vermont Pro-Nuclear Activism: A History and Lessons Learned to Date. This ANS meeting will be in the Boston area on the evening of March 22. ANS meetings are primarily for ANS members, but guests are welcome. Contact me at mjangwin at gmail for more information.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Energy Education Project site states "We assess energy sources and participate in the debate about energy in Vermont."

I couldn't help notice that 5 of the 6 advisers are or were in the nuclear industry. And nearly all links, articles, and reports are pro-Vermont Yankee arguments.

It would seem you need to alter the name to the Nuclear Energy Education Project. The true motivation for the organization is quite evident.

Thank you

Finrod said...

Hey Anonymous, if you have rational arguments to make contradicting the points made by The Energy Education Project, just make them.

IF you have any.

Even if your points aren't rational, make them anyway. It's always educational to see such arguments dissected.

Anonymous said...

I made my point quite clearly. The Energy Education Project does not educate people about energy. It "educates" them about nuclear energy and the wonders of Vermont Yankee.

And that's being generous. Evangelizing nuclear energy and Vermont Yankee is closer to the mark.

Just calling a spade a spade and wondering why you don't do the same.

Thank you

Meredith Angwin said...

I guess you don't like the name of the organization.

The major energy issue confronting Vermont right now is Vermont Yankee. I am pro-nuclear. I concentrate on explaining nuclear energy and Vermont Yankee at this time. What I call explaining, you call evangelizing.

Whatever.

In terms of names, by the way. Um. Names? Not even a pseudonym? Just Anonymous???

Finrod said...

Anonymous, I'm still not getting a clear picture of the reasoning behind your issues with The Energy Project, or for that matter, a clear picture even of what those issues actually are. Please outline your economic and engineering points in order that we might examine them.

Bob Lobla said...

I don't like leaving more fingerprints on the internet than necessary. Just a privacy thing, but if it makes you feel better...

Anonymous said...

Hey, don't worry! Nuclear Power is sooooo safe - as seen just recently in Japan, and not long ago in Chernobyl, Russia, and right here in the good ole U.S. of A. at Three Mile Island. The fact is, you never know what mother nature will do, and the nuclear folks have all lied to us. You're foolish to believe that nuclear power is safe, because when there are accidents, they are massive - they kill, and nuclear radiation stays around forever. Don't be fooled by what the people who work for the nuclear power industry say, and if you really think nuclear power is so safe, why don't you go to Japan and hang out at the reactors that are currently failing. It's really no big deal, right?