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Edition 8 - February 2012 (3Mb)
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Scientists, engineers and industrialists meet to discuss geological disposal of radioactive waste
08 February 2012
"We can safely say the next generation of scientists and technologists are well represented here" Dr Neil Smart Dr Smart, Science Director of the NDA's Radioactive Waste Management Directorate, was speaking at a conference 'Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste: Underpinning Science and Technology' which was organised by a number of the UK's Learned Societies.
The event took place at Loughborough University at the end of last year and, brought together scientists, engineers and technologists to discuss a wide range of technological issues associated with the long-term management of radioactive waste in the UK.
Dr Smart said:
"It is so important to debate these scientific and technological issues in an open environment. We are very keen in the NDA that our programme is subject to challenge through peer review."
"The Learned Societies have a position in the UK science framework for establishing sound science and that framework is extremely important to us in radioactive waste management and most particularly in developing a geological disposal facility."
He had been overwhelmed by the response from the science and technology community to the event. "We expected about 80 people and had 180."
The general consensus from attendees was that the event had been a useful opportunity to meet colleagues from different scientific disciplines as well as the technologists, representatives from the supply chain, post-graduate and graduate students.
Over the two days, delegates heard 42 presentations on the work of the science and technology community and took advantage of the opportunity to question and challenge the presenters. There were also a number of themed poster presentations featuring work currently being undertaken by scientists and technologists.
One delegate said the concept of geological disposal of radioactive waste was difficult to explain to the public especially as there were issues which are not known at this stage but over time research and development would answer these questions and hopefully this would lead to greater public understanding.
Dr Smart added that the conference was just the starting point to bring the disciplines together and he thanked the Learned Societies for organising the event and looked forward to further events.
"There are lots of opportunities for collaboration and programmes of work that will come out of this conference," Dr Smart added.
| Conference Report (by Dr Raymond Kowe, Research Manager, RWMD) |
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The conference was organised by the Learned Societies including: the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Geological Society, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Nuclear Institute, the Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Mineralogical Society and a number of other learned societies. The event was supported by the NDA's Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD).
The overarching theme was to establish 'sound science' in the field. A special edition of the Mineralogical Society magazine will be published in early 2012 featuring the refereed papers from the conference, which will serve as a benchmark for the current status of the science and technology.
Research has recently been reported in the Disposal System Safety Case (DSSC) which considers the safety of radioactive waste transport to a GDF as well as construction and operation of the facility, and the very long-term, post-closure safety. RWMD is seeking to bring this peer-reviewed work further into the public domain and for independent oversight to be provided by the Learned Societies.
The conference brought together scientists, engineers and other specialists to discuss the chemical, biological, geological, hydrological, materials, engineering and other scientific issues associated with the long-term management of radioactive waste in the UK. Attendees included post-graduate researchers, PhD students, academics and industrialists.
The meeting was opened by Dr Nick Evans, Senior Lecturer, Loughborough University, who explained that the conference followed two previous events but was broader in scope and the only one of its kind aimed at providing open communication on all issues surrounding deep geological disposal in the UK.
Dr Neil Smart, Science Director, NDA RWMD, said the purpose of the conference was to ensure all decisions were based on sound science. The collaboration of the Learned Societies would ensure the science was aired publicly and subject to peer review and thorough testing by the scientific community.
Speakers included Bruce Cairns, from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), who gave a perspective on the Government's Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme, Dr Cherry Tweed, Chief Scientific Advisor at NDA RWMD, who gave an overview of the role of science in the implementation of geological disposal in the UK and Professor Linda Warren who outlined the current work programme of the Government's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM).
Eight sessions, which included 42 presentations and 67 posters, covered the following themes:
Professor Kym Jarvis of Imperial College, London, concluded with an overview of the EMpower scheme, which provides a taste of nuclear to MSc students, through project placements and activities such as lecture days, visits and other networking opportunities. Eight students spoke about their placements and a prize for the best student poster was awarded to Nadya Rauff-Nisthar of Loughborough University on the theme 'Radioactive sludge chemistry'.
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