Nuclear Engineer, Advisor, Poet (Date of Service: 11 November 1989 - Present) Passing on the Lessons Learned At an overflowing desk, surrounded by photos of her children and tropical rainforests of her home country Brazil, Rejane Spiegelberg Planer, analyzes the world of nuclear power. These days the nuclear scientist has swapped her lab coat for a computer and the inside of an aeroplane. She has just returned from South Korea, where she facilitated a workshop on how to achieve the most from nuclear power plants, by analyzing performance and sharing lessons learned from years of safe, economic and reliable reactor operations. A focus of Rejane's work since she started at the Agency in 1989 has been the development and management of the Power Reactor Information System - a powerful database containing information on nuclear power plants throughout the world. It allows countries to compare the performance of their reactors against international benchmarks. Since taking over the nuclear database operation, Rejane has become one of the world's most knowledgeable monitors of the nuclear scene. But she'd be the last to admit it. "At the beginning it's not easy to see the contribution you make. But when you go on missions, speak with people and visit the country's nuclear power plants, you quickly realise that Member States profit from the exchange of experience and lessons learned at our workshops and discussions.” When Rejane came to work at the Agency she came to Vienna with her two children and a babysitter. “She was key. There is always a need to have support, whether it's a husband or babysitter. Without her it would have been very difficult." Today, Rejane’s work includes assisting Member States in many areas of nuclear power plant operations management such as operating experience analysis, outage strategy and management and economics of nuclear power plant operations. "The good practices and guidance disseminated in the documents we produce at the IAEA - they are all needed. The exchange of information at the international level is very important. For developing countries, it is one of the most important and effective means to exchange information on best ways to operate nuclear plants.” "When you are able to put your ideas together with the needs of the Member States, it becomes very stimulating and motivating," says Rejane. Rejane takes working in the male dominated area of nuclear science in her stride. At University she was the only female in her Master of Science course in Nuclear Engineering (which she topped by the way, gaining the highest distinction of the class). As a Brazilian “born in a mixed cultural and multicoloured” society, Rejane says she was often confronted with diversity of behaviours and perceptions. Her background a good grounding for working in an international organization. “Most of us readily accept that a diversity of talents and perspectives strengthens a working group and contributes to achieving excellent results. But it goes beyond this. Working in a multicultural environment is also an expression of acceptance and respect for each other,” she says. An accomplished writer, Rejane is as much at home writing a technical paper, as she is crafting poetry. Away from the office she writes poems - which focus on life rather than electricity. She's been published, won an award and had her work professionally read and recorded. "Sometimes it’s difficult to find the time in your private life to do the things you enjoy. For working women everywhere, trying to deal with daily routines at work, at home and keeping track of what is going on in the world outside and inside ourselves…Sometimes it's crazy. The piles of paper on the desk, a report to finish, the children who wait at home eagerly to tell what happened in school... "Achieving your best and striking the right balance between a successful work and private life - that is the challenge," she says.