S.Y. Chen, senior lecturer in health physics and director of the Master of Health Physics program, gave a talk to the faculty and graduate students in the Medical Physics program at Duke University last month. His talk was titled, “Long-Term Recovery from Major Nuclear or Radiological Emergencies.”
In September, Chen presented the same talk at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Meeting on the Draft Safety Guide on Arrangements for the Termination of a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency. At that meeting he served as a consultant to the IAEA technical team and a representative from the United States; 30 countries participated. He also spoke on this topic at the Radiation Protection Association Meeting in Taiwan in August, at the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum in April, and at the National Academy of Sciences Beebe Symposium last May.
Chen has been invited to give talks in multiple venues and conferences this year due to his role as chairman of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Scientific Committee 5-1, which developed the latest NCRP Report, “Decision Making for Late Phase Recovery from Major Nuclear or Radiological Incidents.” This report specifically addressed the long-term recovery from a major nuclear accident such as Fukushima.
Of his opportunities to give these talks Chen said, “They have provided tremendous exposure at the international level.”