I want to give you a quick update on the status of the book "Conversations with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan" which I plan to self-publish on Lulu. I am still working on putting this book together, albeit in my very limited free time. Now that I'm back from my South Africa trip, I'm working 10-12 hour lab days to finish up the labwork for my PhD thesis. The good news is that the interviews are all transcribed now (thanks to my volunteers; if I haven't sent you a rock yet I'll do so in the next few weeks), so I just need to finish editing and compiling them.
My plan is to have the book available on Lulu around the first week of June. I want to include a few pictures of my father and I in the "extra" chapter. I was compiling some photographs, and I realized that my dad and I have not taken a picture together since my college graduation back in 2006! I'd like to include a recent picture of my dad and I. Fortunately (maybe unfortunately for him), my dad is visiting me on June 1st to help me move out of my apartment, so we'll do our best to take some photos then to include in the book. You should expect the book on Lulu shortly thereafter. The interviews will of course be out-of-date, but there is still plenty of good information and explanation in these interviews, much of which will still be relevant even three months after the nuclear disaster began. Also, our interviews tell a story, in a way, of the first month of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
As a reminder to everyone, the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is far from over. There has been so much damage to the Fukushima reactors 1-3 and the spent fuel pools at reactors 1-4 that restoration of normal cooling systems will still take months. Meanwhile, the situation at Fukushima remains precarious.
Showing posts with label Interviews with my Dad a Nuclear Engineer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interviews with my Dad a Nuclear Engineer. Show all posts
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
20th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 20th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. If you would like to send a message to me or my father about this or any of the previous interviews, you can do so in a comment below or by sending an email to georneysblog (at) gmail (dot) com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
We thought that we were done with the Fukushima interviews, but because of a number of requests by email and in comments, we decided to conduct an interview tonight to comment on the upgrade of Fukushima from a 5 to a 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). My dad highly recommends checking out this IAEA slideshow presentation to better understand this scale and the reason for the upgrade:
My dad also recommends checking out this Associated Press article comparing and contrasting the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disasters:
As a geologist, I also wanted to comment on the recent magnitude 6.6 earthquake that prompted an evacuation and cut off power at Fukushima for the better part of an hour. Any event-- such as an earthquake-- that could lead to an extended loss of power is potentially quite serious for the Fukushima Daiichi reactors and spent fuel pools at Units 1-4, which remain "static but not stable." Fortunately, the recent earthquake only caused a temporary evacuation and loss of power. There is the potential for more aftershocks in coming days, and an unfortunately located aftershock could potentially lead to another power loss.
However, I am a geochemist, not a geophysicist or an earthquake expert, so I am not qualified to speak in too much detail about earthquakes and aftershocks. Fortunately, two of my geophysicist friends came through with some more detailed information and analysis than I can provide. First, I want to direct you to a blog post about the recent Fukushima area earthquakes by geoblogger Chris Rowan. Second, I want to direct you to a guest post (following this one) on my blog that has some figures and text written by Jean-Arthur Olive, a good friend of mine and a fellow PhD student in the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. Thanks so much, Chris and Arthur! If any other geophysicists would like to add anything else, just let me know. I can post more information on my blog and/or post a link to another website. Here are links to the two posts I mentioned above:
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives an update about Fukushima
2. My dad discusses the upgrade on the INES scale and comments again on the evacuation zone.
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview or volunteer to transcribe Interviews 17, 18, and 19. At this time, we have no plans for future interviews.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 20th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. If you would like to send a message to me or my father about this or any of the previous interviews, you can do so in a comment below or by sending an email to georneysblog (at) gmail (dot) com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
We thought that we were done with the Fukushima interviews, but because of a number of requests by email and in comments, we decided to conduct an interview tonight to comment on the upgrade of Fukushima from a 5 to a 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). My dad highly recommends checking out this IAEA slideshow presentation to better understand this scale and the reason for the upgrade:
My dad also recommends checking out this Associated Press article comparing and contrasting the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disasters:
As a geologist, I also wanted to comment on the recent magnitude 6.6 earthquake that prompted an evacuation and cut off power at Fukushima for the better part of an hour. Any event-- such as an earthquake-- that could lead to an extended loss of power is potentially quite serious for the Fukushima Daiichi reactors and spent fuel pools at Units 1-4, which remain "static but not stable." Fortunately, the recent earthquake only caused a temporary evacuation and loss of power. There is the potential for more aftershocks in coming days, and an unfortunately located aftershock could potentially lead to another power loss.
However, I am a geochemist, not a geophysicist or an earthquake expert, so I am not qualified to speak in too much detail about earthquakes and aftershocks. Fortunately, two of my geophysicist friends came through with some more detailed information and analysis than I can provide. First, I want to direct you to a blog post about the recent Fukushima area earthquakes by geoblogger Chris Rowan. Second, I want to direct you to a guest post (following this one) on my blog that has some figures and text written by Jean-Arthur Olive, a good friend of mine and a fellow PhD student in the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. Thanks so much, Chris and Arthur! If any other geophysicists would like to add anything else, just let me know. I can post more information on my blog and/or post a link to another website. Here are links to the two posts I mentioned above:
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives an update about Fukushima
2. My dad discusses the upgrade on the INES scale and comments again on the evacuation zone.
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview or volunteer to transcribe Interviews 17, 18, and 19. At this time, we have no plans for future interviews.
A Quick Note: And We Thought We Were Done with the Interviews...
My dad and I wrapped up our regular Fukushima interviews last Saturday, but we did say that if something important happened we would consider commenting on it.
Well, the Fukushima nuclear disaster was just provisionally upgraded from a 5 (Three Mile Island level) to a 7 (Chernobyl level) by Japanese authorities. My dad is not surprised by this upgrade since he has long felt Fukushima to be higher than a level 5. Several people have asked us (begged, even) if we would consider commenting on the upgrade, so we've agreed to do another interview tonight. If you have any questions related to recent developments at Fukushima that you would like me to ask my father, we may have time to answer one or two questions. Post them in a comment below or send them to georneysblog (at) gmail (dot) com no later that 5 pm EDT.
Well, the Fukushima nuclear disaster was just provisionally upgraded from a 5 (Three Mile Island level) to a 7 (Chernobyl level) by Japanese authorities. My dad is not surprised by this upgrade since he has long felt Fukushima to be higher than a level 5. Several people have asked us (begged, even) if we would consider commenting on the upgrade, so we've agreed to do another interview tonight. If you have any questions related to recent developments at Fukushima that you would like me to ask my father, we may have time to answer one or two questions. Post them in a comment below or send them to georneysblog (at) gmail (dot) com no later that 5 pm EDT.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
19th (and Final) Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 19th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. This is the final interview in our series. If you would like to send a message to me or my father about this or any of the previous interviews, you can do so in a comment below or by sending an email to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn. My dad in particular has put an enormous amount of work into research for these interviews. If you would like to send him a thank-you message, I promise to pass it along to him.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives a quick update about Fukushima
2. My dad discusses 5 types of Generation III and Generation III+ nuclear power plants (click on links below for more information on each plant):
(a.) EPR AREVA
(b.) APR1400
(c.) AP1000
(d.) ESBWR
(e.) Thorium Reactors
Several links, thanks to a listener also named Mark:
(3.) My dad talks about the importance of evaluating spent fuel pool safety & long-term storage of spent fuel rods
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview or volunteer to transcribe Interviews 17 & 18 (16 is in progress). This is our last interview.
Some Final Notes:
As I announced before, I will be compiling all of the interview transcripts into a book that I will be self-publishing on Lulu. My goal is to have this book available by the end of April. I will try to keep the cost of the book fairly low, and I will donate 25% of the book profits to charities (such as the Red Cross, see the sidebar for a list of charities) benefiting Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief. The remaining profits I will use to recover some the expenses I had to put forth (paying for several different recording softwares before Skype came forward and helped, a new headset, and video hosting costs on vimeo) over the past month. Anything leftover I will share with my dad, who has put forth a tremendous amount of effort for these interviews. If you would like to support us (and Japan disaster relief), you can buy the book from Lulu when it comes out and/or you can use the paypal button (see blog sidebar) to make a small donation. If you prefer that 100% of your money goes to Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief, please consider a donation to one of the charities listed on my blog sidebar or any of a number of other relief organizations.
The interview audios and transcripts will remain freely available here always. I also hope to put together the audios in podcast format in the near future-- if you have tips on how to make this happen, please post a comment or send an email.
Finally, I would like to say a big THANK YOU you to all of the people who volunteered their time and expertise to help me with audio quality, hosting, and transcriptions. My helpers are too numerous for me to list here, but I will compile a long thank you list (first names) to put in the Lulu book. I have already mailed many of you pretty rocks as thank-you presents. There are still a few of you I need to mail rocks to-- I will try to do so in the next couple of weeks. Note that I am a geologist and so I consider *most* rocks pretty, but hopefully some of you appreciate the rocks I have sent you.
I would also like to say a big THANK YOU to all of the thousands upon thousands of people who listened to these interviews, read these interviews, and sent my father and I comments and emails. We hope that these interviews have been helpful for you, and we are happy that we were able to continue them as long as we did-- a full month.
In the near future this blog will return to being a geology blog. I hope that a few of you will stay to learn about geology and read about some of my geological travels and adventures. However, I will not be offended at all if many of you decide to no longer follow this blog, which will no longer focus on nuclear power.
As a transition back to geology, in a few days I will blog a little about the Oklo Natural Nuclear Reactor-- a nuclear reactor that occurred naturally due to some unusual conditions a long, long time ago in what is today Gabon, Africa. There is no danger of natural nuclear reactors developing on Earth today, but this is an interesting ancient geological phenomenon that can teach a little about nuclear reactors, including possible lessons for long-term storage and migration of nuclear fission products.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 19th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. This is the final interview in our series. If you would like to send a message to me or my father about this or any of the previous interviews, you can do so in a comment below or by sending an email to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn. My dad in particular has put an enormous amount of work into research for these interviews. If you would like to send him a thank-you message, I promise to pass it along to him.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives a quick update about Fukushima
2. My dad discusses 5 types of Generation III and Generation III+ nuclear power plants (click on links below for more information on each plant):
(a.) EPR AREVA
(b.) APR1400
(c.) AP1000
(d.) ESBWR
(e.) Thorium Reactors
Several links, thanks to a listener also named Mark:
Summary of multiple videos on Thorium reactor, (16 minutes):
One of the better long videos on Thorium reactor, (55 minutes):
A written article on the Thorium fuel cycle:
A written article on the molten salt reactor that the Thorium fuel uses:
(3.) My dad talks about the importance of evaluating spent fuel pool safety & long-term storage of spent fuel rods
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview or volunteer to transcribe Interviews 17 & 18 (16 is in progress). This is our last interview.
Some Final Notes:
As I announced before, I will be compiling all of the interview transcripts into a book that I will be self-publishing on Lulu. My goal is to have this book available by the end of April. I will try to keep the cost of the book fairly low, and I will donate 25% of the book profits to charities (such as the Red Cross, see the sidebar for a list of charities) benefiting Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief. The remaining profits I will use to recover some the expenses I had to put forth (paying for several different recording softwares before Skype came forward and helped, a new headset, and video hosting costs on vimeo) over the past month. Anything leftover I will share with my dad, who has put forth a tremendous amount of effort for these interviews. If you would like to support us (and Japan disaster relief), you can buy the book from Lulu when it comes out and/or you can use the paypal button (see blog sidebar) to make a small donation. If you prefer that 100% of your money goes to Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief, please consider a donation to one of the charities listed on my blog sidebar or any of a number of other relief organizations.
The interview audios and transcripts will remain freely available here always. I also hope to put together the audios in podcast format in the near future-- if you have tips on how to make this happen, please post a comment or send an email.
Finally, I would like to say a big THANK YOU you to all of the people who volunteered their time and expertise to help me with audio quality, hosting, and transcriptions. My helpers are too numerous for me to list here, but I will compile a long thank you list (first names) to put in the Lulu book. I have already mailed many of you pretty rocks as thank-you presents. There are still a few of you I need to mail rocks to-- I will try to do so in the next couple of weeks. Note that I am a geologist and so I consider *most* rocks pretty, but hopefully some of you appreciate the rocks I have sent you.
I would also like to say a big THANK YOU to all of the thousands upon thousands of people who listened to these interviews, read these interviews, and sent my father and I comments and emails. We hope that these interviews have been helpful for you, and we are happy that we were able to continue them as long as we did-- a full month.
In the near future this blog will return to being a geology blog. I hope that a few of you will stay to learn about geology and read about some of my geological travels and adventures. However, I will not be offended at all if many of you decide to no longer follow this blog, which will no longer focus on nuclear power.
As a transition back to geology, in a few days I will blog a little about the Oklo Natural Nuclear Reactor-- a nuclear reactor that occurred naturally due to some unusual conditions a long, long time ago in what is today Gabon, Africa. There is no danger of natural nuclear reactors developing on Earth today, but this is an interesting ancient geological phenomenon that can teach a little about nuclear reactors, including possible lessons for long-term storage and migration of nuclear fission products.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
18th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
This afternoon my dad and I recorded our 18th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. We are no longer answering listener questions, but please do continue to send emails to georneysblog@gmail.com. We really do appreciate all the comments and nice emails we receive! You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
Here are some websites we refer to in today's interview:
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2.We address a final batch of questions from listeners:
(a.) Is there a possibility that radioactive water is seeping into the ground? What potential harm could this cause?
(b.) How could it happen that, after much less than a century of nuclear power, we've got an accident that is completely beyond the design basis of a nuclear plant? Aren't the designs of these plants supposed to take into account events far rarer than that? Was this so out of the blue that we can be reasonably sure something like this won't happen again in the next, say, 200 years, or does this mean that in the next couple of decades, we might well have another disaster, perhaps of some completely different nature, that is so beyond the design basis of a plant that its safety mechanisms are as compromised as we've seen at Fukushima?
(c.) Why do they build several nuclear reactors close together, such as the 6 reactors and 7 spent fuel pools at Fukushima? What are the advantages of building several reactors close together? What are the disadvantages of building several reactors close together?
(d.) What missing information do you wish you had to help you better understand what is happening at Fukushima?
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview. Our final wrap-up interview will take place on Saturday, April 9th.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This afternoon my dad and I recorded our 18th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. We are no longer answering listener questions, but please do continue to send emails to georneysblog@gmail.com. We really do appreciate all the comments and nice emails we receive! You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
Here are some websites we refer to in today's interview:
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2.We address a final batch of questions from listeners:
(a.) Is there a possibility that radioactive water is seeping into the ground? What potential harm could this cause?
(b.) How could it happen that, after much less than a century of nuclear power, we've got an accident that is completely beyond the design basis of a nuclear plant? Aren't the designs of these plants supposed to take into account events far rarer than that? Was this so out of the blue that we can be reasonably sure something like this won't happen again in the next, say, 200 years, or does this mean that in the next couple of decades, we might well have another disaster, perhaps of some completely different nature, that is so beyond the design basis of a plant that its safety mechanisms are as compromised as we've seen at Fukushima?
(c.) Why do they build several nuclear reactors close together, such as the 6 reactors and 7 spent fuel pools at Fukushima? What are the advantages of building several reactors close together? What are the disadvantages of building several reactors close together?
(d.) What missing information do you wish you had to help you better understand what is happening at Fukushima?
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview. Our final wrap-up interview will take place on Saturday, April 9th.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Announcement: The End of the Interviews with my Dad, a Nuclear Engineer
As my dad and I just announced in Interview 17, we have decided to do just two more interviews about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan.
We will conduct a last interview update on Thursday, April 7th. This will be the last interview in which we address questions from listeners, so please email any remaining questions you may have to georneysblog@gmail.com as soon as possible.
On Saturday, April 9th we will conduct a final interview in which we summarize the previous interviews. In this final interview my dad will also discuss newer generations of nuclear power plants and talk a little about a proposed idea to use thorium, rather than uranium, as a fuel source in nuclear power plants.
After Saturday, we will not conduct any more interviews unless there is a major development at Fukushima. We may also conduct the occasional interview from time to time to remind people that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima will take months to years to fully resolve and overcome.
We hope that these interviews have been helpful for people. As I mentioned in a previous note, I will be compiling all of the interview transcripts in an easy-to-read book form. My father and I will be self-publishing this book on Lulu (unless a publisher wants to come forth and help us?), and we will donate 25% of the book profits to earthquake and tsunami disaster relief in Japan. The book will include all of the interviews through the interview we will be doing on Saturday, and there will also be some extra information on my father and I (including a collection of family photos) and a chapter compiling some of the many, many emails and comments we have received over the course of doing these interviews. The interviews will remain freely available here always; I just thought that some people might like the interview transcripts available in an easier-to-read book form.
There are still a few interviews that need transcriptions. If anyone would like to transcribe some or all of Interviews 14, 15, 16, and 17, my father and I would be most grateful. I can send payment in the form of pretty rocks or gear from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where I am a graduate student.
We will conduct a last interview update on Thursday, April 7th. This will be the last interview in which we address questions from listeners, so please email any remaining questions you may have to georneysblog@gmail.com as soon as possible.
On Saturday, April 9th we will conduct a final interview in which we summarize the previous interviews. In this final interview my dad will also discuss newer generations of nuclear power plants and talk a little about a proposed idea to use thorium, rather than uranium, as a fuel source in nuclear power plants.
After Saturday, we will not conduct any more interviews unless there is a major development at Fukushima. We may also conduct the occasional interview from time to time to remind people that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima will take months to years to fully resolve and overcome.
We hope that these interviews have been helpful for people. As I mentioned in a previous note, I will be compiling all of the interview transcripts in an easy-to-read book form. My father and I will be self-publishing this book on Lulu (unless a publisher wants to come forth and help us?), and we will donate 25% of the book profits to earthquake and tsunami disaster relief in Japan. The book will include all of the interviews through the interview we will be doing on Saturday, and there will also be some extra information on my father and I (including a collection of family photos) and a chapter compiling some of the many, many emails and comments we have received over the course of doing these interviews. The interviews will remain freely available here always; I just thought that some people might like the interview transcripts available in an easier-to-read book form.
There are still a few interviews that need transcriptions. If anyone would like to transcribe some or all of Interviews 14, 15, 16, and 17, my father and I would be most grateful. I can send payment in the form of pretty rocks or gear from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where I am a graduate student.
17th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
 |
| Radiation in Daily Life. Figure taken from MEXT website here (click on any of the PDFs and scroll to last page).Click figure to view larger. My dad refers to this figure in the interview today. |
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This afternoon my dad and I recorded our 17th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter. Please note that our next interview will be the LAST interview in which we will address listener questions, so send in your questions if you have them.
Here are some websites we refer to in today's interview:
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2.We address questions from listeners:
(a.) Can you explain some of the different units that are used to measure radiation and radioactivity?
(b.) Can you comment on the radiation reports on the MEXT website?
(c.) Is it possible the Fukushima plants did have hardened vents but they were inoperable due to air-operated valves which were dependent on air compressors which were without power?
(d.) In the US plants are required to show they can survive an extended station blackout (this sort of accident) and make design and procedure changes if they couldn't under their original design. Did the Japanese regulator follow the US lead in this area?
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview. Our next interview will be on Thursday, April 7th. This will be the LAST update interview before our final wrap-up interview.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A Quick Note: A Message from My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, for TEPCO and the Japanese Government
A message from my dad for the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government, from Interview 16:
"We've tried to remain calm and rational and not get too excited. So, just because we haven't raised our voice and started yelling and screaming doesn't indicate at all that we don't have concerns. I think from early on, if you go back and listen to some of the early interviews, the lack of transparency from TEPCO-- I've been saying all along I think before, definitely before, the mainstream press, and I remember in one of the interviews early on I was really happy when finally Anderson Cooper was starting to take them to task for their lack of transparency-- we've been saying since day one that TEPCO has not been forthcoming. And, in the last interview, and I realize it's probably been three days, we talked about: hey [TEPCO], two-and-a-half weeks into this, now three weeks into this, how come you can't get two or three reactor operators or engineers together from some of your other plants [and] interpret for the public what's going on and produce a comprehensive briefing every day? And their [TEPCO's] press releases are still not very informative.
The other thing that we've commented on is the lack of a website that an average person can go to and have the radiation and contamination readings in plain English so that they can understand where it's above the limit and where it's below the limit and where they should and should not be concerned. And the IAEA had at least put some information out there, and we had referenced people to it a few days ago, but still as far as I know, today-- now there may be a site in Japanese that I can't find or read-- but to my knowledge there's still not a website that people can go to that shows them: here's the radiation and contamination readings for the past twenty-four to forty-eight hours-- and here's where we are above the limit, here's where we are below the limit. It just doesn't seem to exist. The information is scattered. Clearly, I think the Japanese government could be doing a better job there. I'm surprised that they're not.
And the other thing that we pointed out-- we had a very long discussion about venting and the fact that the NRC in the US had required plants with the Mark I containment to go back in and put in hardened vent systems and that TEPCO obviously didn't do that-- now they're not in the United States so they're not compelled to follow orders from the NRC, but certainly they were aware that this design change had been required in the US, and I think TEPCO as a nuclear operator has a responsibility to do the right thing whether they are required by the government or not. But also-- where was the Japanese government in requiring this for the plants in Japan? So, as far as I'm concerned they're both at fault. And that has to be looked at. The Japanese government has to look at their regulatory agency and say: okay, what else should have been done to our nuclear power plants in Japan that we haven't required?...
...given the lack of transparency, given the lack of implementation of the design changes, given some of the other shortcomings that we've heard of in terms of radiation suits and radiation badges, I don't think it's unreasonable to question if TEPCO should be allowed to continue to operate nuclear power plants. Now, I'm not yelling, I'm not screaming, but I don't think I can be any clearer in saying that I don't trust TEPCO, and I'm not sure anybody else should either based on what's happened during this accident. "
-Cdr. Mark L. Mervine, Nuclear Engineer (USNR, Ret.)
"We've tried to remain calm and rational and not get too excited. So, just because we haven't raised our voice and started yelling and screaming doesn't indicate at all that we don't have concerns. I think from early on, if you go back and listen to some of the early interviews, the lack of transparency from TEPCO-- I've been saying all along I think before, definitely before, the mainstream press, and I remember in one of the interviews early on I was really happy when finally Anderson Cooper was starting to take them to task for their lack of transparency-- we've been saying since day one that TEPCO has not been forthcoming. And, in the last interview, and I realize it's probably been three days, we talked about: hey [TEPCO], two-and-a-half weeks into this, now three weeks into this, how come you can't get two or three reactor operators or engineers together from some of your other plants [and] interpret for the public what's going on and produce a comprehensive briefing every day? And their [TEPCO's] press releases are still not very informative.
The other thing that we've commented on is the lack of a website that an average person can go to and have the radiation and contamination readings in plain English so that they can understand where it's above the limit and where it's below the limit and where they should and should not be concerned. And the IAEA had at least put some information out there, and we had referenced people to it a few days ago, but still as far as I know, today-- now there may be a site in Japanese that I can't find or read-- but to my knowledge there's still not a website that people can go to that shows them: here's the radiation and contamination readings for the past twenty-four to forty-eight hours-- and here's where we are above the limit, here's where we are below the limit. It just doesn't seem to exist. The information is scattered. Clearly, I think the Japanese government could be doing a better job there. I'm surprised that they're not.
And the other thing that we pointed out-- we had a very long discussion about venting and the fact that the NRC in the US had required plants with the Mark I containment to go back in and put in hardened vent systems and that TEPCO obviously didn't do that-- now they're not in the United States so they're not compelled to follow orders from the NRC, but certainly they were aware that this design change had been required in the US, and I think TEPCO as a nuclear operator has a responsibility to do the right thing whether they are required by the government or not. But also-- where was the Japanese government in requiring this for the plants in Japan? So, as far as I'm concerned they're both at fault. And that has to be looked at. The Japanese government has to look at their regulatory agency and say: okay, what else should have been done to our nuclear power plants in Japan that we haven't required?...
...given the lack of transparency, given the lack of implementation of the design changes, given some of the other shortcomings that we've heard of in terms of radiation suits and radiation badges, I don't think it's unreasonable to question if TEPCO should be allowed to continue to operate nuclear power plants. Now, I'm not yelling, I'm not screaming, but I don't think I can be any clearer in saying that I don't trust TEPCO, and I'm not sure anybody else should either based on what's happened during this accident. "
-Cdr. Mark L. Mervine, Nuclear Engineer (USNR, Ret.)
16th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This afternoon my dad and I recorded our 16th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
Here is a website we refer to in today's interview:
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2.We address numerous questions from listeners:
(a.) What is going on with the resin they are spraying at Fukushima to lower radioactive particulate dispersal?
(b.) The rescue effort is now bringing some large barges with fresh water, and there is talk about re-purposing a gigantic floating platform as a radioactive water holding tank. Clearly, this has never been done before. How long would the highly radioactive water have to be stored in the floating platform before it could be dispersed into the ocean more safely?
(c.) What potential problems will there be because there is so much radioactive water being generated at Fukushima? What will happen with these large volumes of highly radioactive water?
(d.) Are they now planning concrete entombing of the reactors at Fukushima? What would this lead to? How wide would the exclusion zone be?
(e.) What is happening to the enormous volumes of water that are being pumped into the reactors and spent fuel pools? Where does all this water go?
The above are all of the questions we had time to answer today, but we will answer some more questions tomorrow. Please continue to send questions if you have them.
3. We address a concern from a listener: "Why do we sound so 'trusting' of TEPCO and the Japanese government regarding the nuclear disaster?"
To paraphrase our answer in the interview, just because we do not raise our voices and scream in anger does not mean that we are not deeply concerned and critical. We try to be calm and rational in these interviews as we believe this is the best way to provide clear information. We also want to avoid-- to the best of our ability-- conspiracy theories, misinformation, and unnecessary panic, which will only make the disaster worse. If you feel that we are too trusting, please listen again. From early on in the interviews we have actually been critical of TEPCO and the Japanese government in how they have handled (and not handled) the nuclear disaster.
In recent interviews, we have becoming increasingly critical of TEPCO and the Japanese government. For instance, we have been critical about the lack of clear, cohesive information from both TEPCO and the Japanese government, the unwillingness of TEPCO to communicate with and ask for help from the Japanese government and international community when they need it (for instance, asking for more radiation badges and suits), possible mistakes made by TEPCO (not checking the spent fuel pool water levels), and many other items. In the past two interviews, my dad has condemned both TEPCO and the Japanese government for not following the advice of the US Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) to retrofit the Mark I reactors with important safety modifications that likely would have prevented the steam explosions that severely damaged reactor buildings 1, 2, and 3.
In the interview today, my dad said that in his opinion we should seriously question if TEPCO should be allowed to run nuclear power plants. I'm not sure how much more critical he can be than that. I hope this clears up any confusion over how "trusting" we are of TEPCO and the Japanese government.
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Quick Note: Interview Postponed by Nor'easter
Here in New England, the weather is often unpredictable. Seasoned New Englanders often say to each other and to befuddled visitors or newcomers, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." Today, there is a late season nor'easter sweeping through New England like an April Fool's prank. There is rain and snow and slush everywhere.
Unfortunately, the weather has upset our work and travel schedules, so my father and I are unable to carry out our scheduled interview update about Fukushima today. Thus, we are postponing to Sunday, April 3rd. We plan to record the interview in the early afternoon.
We apologize for such a big gap in interviews. To tide you over until Sunday, we recommend taking a look at the information on the IAEA and NEI websites:
I've already received a few questions for Sunday, but please continue to send questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
Unfortunately, the weather has upset our work and travel schedules, so my father and I are unable to carry out our scheduled interview update about Fukushima today. Thus, we are postponing to Sunday, April 3rd. We plan to record the interview in the early afternoon.
We apologize for such a big gap in interviews. To tide you over until Sunday, we recommend taking a look at the information on the IAEA and NEI websites:
I've already received a few questions for Sunday, but please continue to send questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
15th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
 | ||
| Picture of a Boiling Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plant like the Fukushima Plants. My dad refers to this image in his interview. |
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 15th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. My dad talks some about high radiation levels at reactor #2 and potential sources of this radiation
3. My dad elaborates on the venting of steam from reactors and explains why venting of steam at the Fukushima Mark 1 nuclear power plants is different from venting of steam at American Mark 1 nuclear power plants, which have been retrofitted with design modifications
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
Monday, March 28, 2011
14th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 14th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. My dad addresses my question "How does Fukushima compare with Three Mile Island and Chernobyl?"
3. My dad answers two questions from listeners: "How will they increase shielding at the Fukushima nuclear power plants now that the cooling water is more radioactive?" and "Is there a way to fingerprint radiation as coming from a specific nuclear power plant?"
Here is a website we refer to in today's interview:
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
A Quick Note: Upcoming Interviews with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, and Lulu Book
Some Quick Announcements:
1. Upcoming Interviews:
While my dad and I wish we could stop doing our interview updates, the situation at Fukushima remains serious. We will discuss this more in our interview tonight, but keep in mind that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima will not be resolved in a matter of days; there are many long months and years of work ahead, especially since some of the reactors have been badly damaged by the earthquake, flooding (from the tsunami), and subsequent explosions. To fully clean-up the Fukushima site will require decades.
We probably won't continue doing these interviews for decades, but we will continue them awhile longer.
This week we will be conducting interviews on Monday (3/28, later this evening), Tuesday (3/29), and Friday (4/1). Please send any questions or comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
2. Lulu Book:
I just wanted to let you know that sometime soon (sometime in April, hopefully) I plan to self-publish a book titled "Conversations with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disater in Japan" on Lulu. In this book, I will compile all of the interview transcripts (which I will clean-up and check for errors) and also write brief summaries of the content in each interview. I will also include a chapter with some background on my father and I, including some pictures of us over the years, and a chapter with some of the many, many emails and comments we have received in response to these interviews. For the emails and comments, I will only use first names (or anonymous if the person did not give a name) and will avoid any personal details.
My father and I will donate 25% of the profits of each book to charities supporting Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief. If you have any interest in buying a book, let me know in a comment below or by email so that I have a rough idea of how many books might be ordered.
The interviews and audio files will remain freely available here always; I just thought that some people might like to have all of the interviews compiled in an easier-to-read book form. As I mentioned, I will try to have the book published sometime in April; I have a long plane flight to South Africa coming up in a few weeks when I can work on this. Depending on the situation at Fukushima, we may continue to do these interviews on a regular basis for some time. So, it's possible that the book will need to be updated at some point if we continue interviews past April.
3. More Thank-Yous
Thanks again to all of the transcribers and audio helpers. I mailed pretty rocks to the volunteer helpers below (except Gerald-- send me your address if you want a rock) earlier today. Rocks are heavy, so I mailed them parcel post, but they should arrive sometime in the not-too-distant future.
-Skype PR Representative
-Michelle, Gregg, Kirsten, Sophie, Chris, & Maria (transcription)
-Brandon (vimeo & audio help)
-Mike (audio help)
-Brad (YouTube help)
-Gerald (audio file hosting)
1. Upcoming Interviews:
While my dad and I wish we could stop doing our interview updates, the situation at Fukushima remains serious. We will discuss this more in our interview tonight, but keep in mind that the nuclear disaster at Fukushima will not be resolved in a matter of days; there are many long months and years of work ahead, especially since some of the reactors have been badly damaged by the earthquake, flooding (from the tsunami), and subsequent explosions. To fully clean-up the Fukushima site will require decades.
We probably won't continue doing these interviews for decades, but we will continue them awhile longer.
This week we will be conducting interviews on Monday (3/28, later this evening), Tuesday (3/29), and Friday (4/1). Please send any questions or comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn.
2. Lulu Book:
I just wanted to let you know that sometime soon (sometime in April, hopefully) I plan to self-publish a book titled "Conversations with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disater in Japan" on Lulu. In this book, I will compile all of the interview transcripts (which I will clean-up and check for errors) and also write brief summaries of the content in each interview. I will also include a chapter with some background on my father and I, including some pictures of us over the years, and a chapter with some of the many, many emails and comments we have received in response to these interviews. For the emails and comments, I will only use first names (or anonymous if the person did not give a name) and will avoid any personal details.
My father and I will donate 25% of the profits of each book to charities supporting Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief. If you have any interest in buying a book, let me know in a comment below or by email so that I have a rough idea of how many books might be ordered.
The interviews and audio files will remain freely available here always; I just thought that some people might like to have all of the interviews compiled in an easier-to-read book form. As I mentioned, I will try to have the book published sometime in April; I have a long plane flight to South Africa coming up in a few weeks when I can work on this. Depending on the situation at Fukushima, we may continue to do these interviews on a regular basis for some time. So, it's possible that the book will need to be updated at some point if we continue interviews past April.
3. More Thank-Yous
Thanks again to all of the transcribers and audio helpers. I mailed pretty rocks to the volunteer helpers below (except Gerald-- send me your address if you want a rock) earlier today. Rocks are heavy, so I mailed them parcel post, but they should arrive sometime in the not-too-distant future.
-Skype PR Representative
-Michelle, Gregg, Kirsten, Sophie, Chris, & Maria (transcription)
-Brandon (vimeo & audio help)
-Mike (audio help)
-Brad (YouTube help)
-Gerald (audio file hosting)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
13th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 13th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. My dad talks in a little more detail about radiation in the environment in Japan
Here are some websites we refer to in today's interview:
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
12th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
Update: Sorry that it took me so long to post this interview, which was recorded last night. I had trouble converting the video file at first, but I think I've sorted it out now.
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 12th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. We discuss:
a) why salt might be a problem for nuclear reactors
b) Fukushima has dropped off the front page of the news, and the mainstream media is not doing the best job of reporting about Fukushima in recent days (on a soapbox again)
c) monitoring of radiation by the Japanese government and radiation in the environment
d) why reports about radiation levels need to be in units people can understand and need to be in consistent units
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
If you have time and interest, please transcribe this interview. Our next interview will be on Saturday, March 26th. Thanks to Kenyon, a transcript is now available after the jump.
You can listen to all the interviews on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 12th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. We discuss:
a) why salt might be a problem for nuclear reactors
b) Fukushima has dropped off the front page of the news, and the mainstream media is not doing the best job of reporting about Fukushima in recent days (on a soapbox again)
c) monitoring of radiation by the Japanese government and radiation in the environment
d) why reports about radiation levels need to be in units people can understand and need to be in consistent units
Hope to have an audio link soon. Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
Thursday, March 24, 2011
11th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
Update: Gerald has kindly hosted all of the new audio files. I am still updating all the audio links (some of which are broken). I'll try to finish this up tonight-- been busy! Meanwhile, you can listen to all the audio files on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 11th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. We discuss:
a) radiation in Tokyo tap water
b) preparing for emergencies
c) can older nuclear power plants be retrofitted with passive cooling systems?
d) should some nuclear power plants in disaster-prone areas be shut down?
e) what happens to spent fuel rods (in the US) at decommissioned nuclear power
plants?
Here are some websites we refer to in today's interview:
Here is a link to the audio:
Here is the interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
10th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
| ||
| Picture of a Boiling Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plant like the Fukushima Plants. My dad refers to this image in his interview. |
Here's the vimeo channel:
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
This evening my dad and I recorded our 10th interview on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In today's interview:
1. My dad gives his usual update
2. My dad and I step up on a soapbox and discuss: a) why nuclear organizations and the media need to be better about providing information about nuclear power and nuclear disasters, b) why the US should reprocess (recycle) nuclear fuel rods, c) long-term storage of nuclear fuel, and d) nuclear power, power plants in general, and the world's energy needs
3. We address the questions "How do you move fuel rods?" and "Should the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant license have been renewed?"
Here are some websites we refer to in today's interview:
Here is a statistic we discuss (from wikipedia, let me know if you have a better source):
The US consumes 25% of the world's energy but has less than 5% of the world's population
Here is the audio file:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
Monday, March 21, 2011
A Quick Note: Next Interview Scheduled for Evening of 3/22
My father and I were originally going to do another interview this evening. However, we're both exhausted. Earlier today my dad had to make his way through a March snowstorm to fly out for a business trip, and he's very tired. I'm also very tired-- over the past few days, I have been doing hours upon hours of chemistry in lab in addition to the time I've been putting into these interviews. Thus, we are going to skip tonight's interview so that we can both rest.
Tomorrow and Wednesday I am going to be measuring uranium and thorium isotopes (in uranium and thorium concentrates which I've extracted from rocks from Oman) on the NEPTUNE mass spectrometer here at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Since machine time on the NEPTUNE costs about $1300 per day, I will not be able to record tomorrow's interview until the evening sometime. I need to make the best use of my time on the NEPTUNE. I'll try to have Interview 10 posted by late evening tomorrow night (EDT). If you have any questions you want me to ask my dad tomorrow evening, please email them to georneysblog@gmail.com. Thanks!
Tomorrow and Wednesday I am going to be measuring uranium and thorium isotopes (in uranium and thorium concentrates which I've extracted from rocks from Oman) on the NEPTUNE mass spectrometer here at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Since machine time on the NEPTUNE costs about $1300 per day, I will not be able to record tomorrow's interview until the evening sometime. I need to make the best use of my time on the NEPTUNE. I'll try to have Interview 10 posted by late evening tomorrow night (EDT). If you have any questions you want me to ask my dad tomorrow evening, please email them to georneysblog@gmail.com. Thanks!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
9th Interview with My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster in Japan
Update: Gerald has kindly hosted all of the new audio files. I will update all the audio links (some of which are broken) soon-- tonight or tomorrow. DONE Meanwhile, you can listen to all the audio files on the new vimeo channel Brandon and I created. You can also listen to most of the interviews on Brad Go's YouTube channel.
Here's the vimeo channel:
Here's the vimeo channel:
Georneys Nuclear Engineer Dad Interview Series on vimeo
Here is the 9th interview I have conducted with my dad, a nuclear engineer. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In the interview today, we talked some about radioactivity and uranium isotopes. I actually study uranium-series isotope chemistry in rocks. A part of my PhD thesis research is using the decay of uranium-series isotopes found naturally in all rocks (at low, non-dangerous levels, in most cases) to determine ages of rocks and minerals. I am actually working on this chemistry today in lab. When I eventually return to blogging about geology, I promise to write more about my uranium-series research in geology. For now, I though it would be good to talk briefly about uranium and its isotopes since this is relevant to nuclear power. My dad and I also discuss this topic in our interview. You can see my isotope discussion and some useful figures after the jump.
Because of work obligations, our next interview will not be posted until late tomorrow evening (EDT).
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
There is text on uranium and its isotopes after the jump. Please transcribe this interview if you have time and interest-- just post a comment below so that others do not duplicate your effort.
Update: Thanks to Michelle, a transcript is now available after the jump.
Brad Go's YouTube channel:
Here is the 9th interview I have conducted with my dad, a nuclear engineer. Please see the rest of the blog (sidebar) for previous interviews. Please keep sending questions and comments to georneysblog@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter @GeoEvelyn but please do not send questions via twitter.
In the interview today, we talked some about radioactivity and uranium isotopes. I actually study uranium-series isotope chemistry in rocks. A part of my PhD thesis research is using the decay of uranium-series isotopes found naturally in all rocks (at low, non-dangerous levels, in most cases) to determine ages of rocks and minerals. I am actually working on this chemistry today in lab. When I eventually return to blogging about geology, I promise to write more about my uranium-series research in geology. For now, I though it would be good to talk briefly about uranium and its isotopes since this is relevant to nuclear power. My dad and I also discuss this topic in our interview. You can see my isotope discussion and some useful figures after the jump.
Because of work obligations, our next interview will not be posted until late tomorrow evening (EDT).
Here is today's interview on vimeo:
Please see the announcement page for more information about these interviews:
There is text on uranium and its isotopes after the jump. Please transcribe this interview if you have time and interest-- just post a comment below so that others do not duplicate your effort.
Update: Thanks to Michelle, a transcript is now available after the jump.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Special Interview: My Dad, a Nuclear Engineer, Talks with a Japanese Citizen in Nagoya, Japan
In Interview 7 I mentioned how my dad was threatening to replace me as his interviewer because of the problems I was having with call quality (high-pitch and echo on my side). Fortunately, the call quality has improved (thanks again to the Skype PR representative!), and my new internet tech friends are helping to improve the quality of all of the audios. Mike is enhancing the call quality to the best of his ability. He improved the audio for Interview 1 significantly and is doing his best with other ones. The echos are difficult to fix, but he is trying. Since kiwi6 took down most of the audio files, I have decided to host them elsewhere. Gerald kindly offered to host him on his server, which has good bandwidth. By the end of the weekend or early next week, I hope to update all of the audio links to the permanently-hosted, improved audio files. For now, everything is still available on the vimeo channel. Brandon, who is helping me run the vimeo channel, also plans to update all the audio on the vimeo videos. I hope that Brad is able to update the audio on his YouTube channel.
Also, I am happy to announce that all 8 Interviews now have full transcripts. Thank you to all of the transcribers: Ashlyn, Jesse, Chris, Kirsten, Gregg, Michelle, Maria, and Sophie.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has posted comments and sent me emails. Your kind words mean a great amount to my dad and I, and we will continue to answer as many of your questions as possible. Thank you also for spreading the word. Please do continue to take these interviews and spread them far and wide on the internet.
Thank you so much for all of the help. Because of time constraints, when it comes to technical problems and the transcripts, I have been executing what my dad calls "3D Leadership" : Decide, Delegate, Disappear. I appreciate that I have many volunteers to whom I can delegate. Without the help of volunteers, my dad and I could not do what we do here.
As I was saying, my dad jokingly threatened to replace me because of the technical difficulties we were having for a couple of days. I didn't think my dad was serious-- I mean, I'm his daughter-- but he was serious! For today's interview, my dad is interviewed by a Japanese citizen currently living in Nagoya, Japan. My dad informs me that I am not permanently fired-- tomorrow we will continue with our regular update in Interview 9. If you have questions for tomorrow, please send them in by tonight (georneysblog@gmail.com).
Also, I am happy to announce that all 8 Interviews now have full transcripts. Thank you to all of the transcribers: Ashlyn, Jesse, Chris, Kirsten, Gregg, Michelle, Maria, and Sophie.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has posted comments and sent me emails. Your kind words mean a great amount to my dad and I, and we will continue to answer as many of your questions as possible. Thank you also for spreading the word. Please do continue to take these interviews and spread them far and wide on the internet.
Thank you so much for all of the help. Because of time constraints, when it comes to technical problems and the transcripts, I have been executing what my dad calls "3D Leadership" : Decide, Delegate, Disappear. I appreciate that I have many volunteers to whom I can delegate. Without the help of volunteers, my dad and I could not do what we do here.
As I was saying, my dad jokingly threatened to replace me because of the technical difficulties we were having for a couple of days. I didn't think my dad was serious-- I mean, I'm his daughter-- but he was serious! For today's interview, my dad is interviewed by a Japanese citizen currently living in Nagoya, Japan. My dad informs me that I am not permanently fired-- tomorrow we will continue with our regular update in Interview 9. If you have questions for tomorrow, please send them in by tonight (georneysblog@gmail.com).
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