The U.S. Department of Energy will hold a series of webinars for students in the field of nuclear waste disposal

The Department of Energy, jointly with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University, will conduct a biweekly webinar series aimed at providing a broad overview of nuclear waste management and disposal in the United States as well as the latest research activities. The target audience is undergraduate and graduate students in science, engineering, policy, sociotechnical, and social science programs. The webinars will be held every other Friday from January 26 to April 19 from 3-4 p.m. (ET). More information and registration can be found here.

Webinars’ schedule:

26 January: “Back end of the nuclear fuel cycle through the lens of the Swiss program” – Lee Peddicord, Texas A&M University

9 February: “Sequestration mechanisms of radionuclides: nuclear waste disposal and environmental remediation” – Brian Powell, Clemson University

23 February: “The DOE’s spent fuel and waste disposition program, an overview” – Paul Murray, DOE

8 March: “Deep geologic disposal of long-lived radioactive waste for long-term protection of people and the environment” – Emily Stein, Sandia

22 March: “Underground research laboratories and international collaborations” – LianGe Zheng, LBNL

5 April: “Extended dry cask storage and subsequent transportation—Challenges, concerns, and R&D” – Sylvia Saltzstein, Sandia

26 April: “Sociotechnical considerations for consent-based siting: Kuhika Gupta, University of Oklahoma

The webinar series is being launched as part of the DOE’s Next-Gen Workforce Development Pilot Program, which aims to inspire and inform the next generation of scientists, engineers, and policymakers about nuclear waste disposal research and development.