Description
After decades of activism to close nuclear reactors and shift to other forms of energy, a growing number of political leaders and environmentalists support a renewed investment in nuclear power. Concerns around energy security and the growing need for decarbonization are also giving many nuclear plants life extensions.
Why have opinions shifted, are there new solutions to managing nuclear waste and what sort of technologies have emerged since its peak in the 1970s? Can nuclear energy be part of the clean energy strategy?
The panel features Ivan Penn, energy correspondent for The New York Times; Jennifer Bernstein, visiting scholar at the USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute and editor-in-chief of Case Studies in the Environment; and Najmedin Meshkati, professor of engineering at USC Viterbi School of Engineering and international relations at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Who Will Benefit
– Those interested in the history of nuclear energy and its impacts
– Sustainability professionals looking to investigate alternative energy sources
– Those looking to learn more about how to contain nuclear waste
About Our Featured Faculty
Najmedin Meshkati is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, industrial systems engineering and international relations at USC Viterbi School of Engineering and USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He is a recipient of the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation. He is also principal investigator of a research grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He is a certified professional ergonomist (CPE) and a fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
Jennifer Bernstein is the editor-in-chief of Case Studies in the Environment and a visiting scholar at the USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute. Bernstein’s research interests are in American environmentalism, Western American environmental history, online teaching and learning, and California geography. In particular, she analyzes and addresses environmental problems and social justice issues through interdisciplinary frameworks. She was previously on the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara City College; and Hawaii Pacific University, where she developed and taught residential and online geography courses. She’s also worked at the political strategy firm American Environics, where she served as senior data analyst, and has worked as a field and restoration ecologist.
