Meet the Winners of the IAEA's Nuclear Safety Essay Competition

Natchapon Promprasert from Thailand, in his essay, “What does the future of power generation look like and what is the role of nuclear power in the years ahead,” highlighted that the “…future power generation has to depend on the new role of nuclear energy based on novel, smart and advanced technologies that change over time…”

Daiane Sardinha from Brazil, in her essay, “Nuclear energy for the new generation,” explained the importance of communication and said that “…aiming to change the public opinion, the nuclear industry needs to work on standardizing information and communication, clarifying what exposure rates are acceptable for the population and explaining what the proven risks of radiation are.”

Kate Graham-Shaw from the United Kingdom, in her essay, “Future of nuclear power,” noted “…new technologies altering the way that reactors work and increasing structural safety could well mean that the future of nuclear power is not as bleak as it at first seems. There are many groups of scientists working to improve reactor safety and update the designs across the world, including in Europe, the US, China and South Korea.”

Doovaraha Maheswarasarma from Sri Lanka, in her essay, “How can the industry, regulatory bodies and international organizations build trust and demonstrate to the world that nuclear facilities are safer now than ever before?”  stressed that “…the more we think about science communication’s importance, the more we may realise that maybe better writers and engineers with liberal arts backgrounds could play a big role in helping nations rebuild an energy grid…”

Travis Scot Smith from the United States of America, in his essay, “Public trust, climate change, a changing workforce, and capital investment: non-technical matters and their impact on the development of nuclear power over the next twenty years,” emphasised that “…public trust in the safety and security of nuclear power production is one of many factors necessary to maintain and expand the use of nuclear power…”

Ilia Meniailo from Russia, in his essay, “Attracting young specialists to the nuclear industry. Nuclear energy development,” said that “Today, the safety of nuclear power plants is constantly being improved, new process equipment is being introduced, analogue signals are being digitized, and new laws and regulations are being applied to ensure the safe operation of the power unit."

The six winners will discuss challenges and benefits of utilizing safe and secure nuclear power, the future of nuclear technology and the importance of strengthening nuclear safety to help generate a wider awareness among peers on these topics.

The Programme of the conference can be found here. To register to participate in person or virtually, click here.