Washington’s energy needs are rising rapidly because of climate change, data centers and growing electrification. The solution is to use nuclear power in our clean energy mix.
Come learn about nuclear energy
how it compares to gas and renewables.
about small modular reactors (SMRs) and the reopening of nuclear power plants around the US
and how it will help us avoid blackouts and get to net-zero emissions.
Bring all your questions!
Dr. James Conca is a Geo-environmental scientist specializing in nuclear waste, and an EPA/State Environmental Consultant. Trustee of the Herbert M Parker Foundation
Bickersons Brewhouse, 1514 Leary Way NW, Ballard, Seattle
Seattle Friends of Fission is pleased to offer a talk on how a coal-powered plant is being transformed to a non-carbon emitting energy producer.
Moving from coal to clean nuclear power in Wyoming, the Natrium Reactor Project will be built, providing jobs, and reliable, safe, resilient clean energy. This is incredibly exciting as it will be one of the first next-gen (IV) reactors built in the United States. How it fits into the energy mix of today and tomorrow will be discussed by a lead on the project.
We are fortunate to have Mark Werner, Vice President of Plant Delivery for Natrium projects. He is a mechanical engineer by trade, who develops and leads engineering teams that design advance reactor concepts focused on impacting future energy markets. Mark has worked in plant layout and design, reactor system and equipment design, reactor core design and fuel design in his past positions. Mark has worked for TerraPower for 12 years, and prior to that worked on Reactor designs for the US Navy’s nuclear fleet at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in upstate NY. Mark has a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Union College and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Drexel University) Mark will be interviewed by Scott Montgomery, University of Washington faculty from the Jackson School of International Studies.
Join Friends of Fission Northwest for a live event at Bickersons Brewhouse in Ballard!
Thursday / June 20, 2024 / 7PM
Come hear about Ultra Safe Nuclear. Ultra Safe is working to provide the energy needs of our complex world. They are headquartered here, in Seattle, and are a global leader in nuclear technologies and services, on Earth and in Space. Learn about Micro Modular Reactors (MMR®), Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM®) nuclear fuel, and nuclear power and propulsion technologies for space exploration. Q&A following talk.
Our speaker, Wes Deason, nuclear engineer, is the Pylon Program Manager at Ultra Safe Nuclear’s Advanced Technologies Division and has supported Ultra Safe’s efforts on nuclear power for the past 5 years. He has a broad experience base in designing and developing high-temperature reactors for power, industrial heat, and space applications and modeling their application to accelerate the transition to a 100% clean energy system. Wes has a M.S. and B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State and Texas A&M University.
Before working at USNC, he worked with the Center for Space Nuclear Research at Idaho National Laboratory supporting Nuclear Thermal Propulsion design on MSFC’s Space Capable Cryogenic Thermal Engine Project, as well as design of several independent space and transportable multimegawatt power reactor design studies.
Location: Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ , 1919 East Prospect St. , Sea, 98112
Washington needs to produce more energy. Our electric grid is under stress due to decreasing snowpack, increasing irrigation needs, more energy needed for transportation, AI, air conditioning/heating, etc.
In addition to our mix of solar, wind and hydro, how can nuclear energy be the clean solution to meet increasing demand? Come learn about nuclear power, how it works, the pros and cons, what to do about the waste, why it’s a vital piece to address climate change.
SPEAKER BIO: Nick Touran, PhD, PE, is a nuclear engineer who joined the field to help fight climate change. He has expertise in advanced nuclear reactor design, reactor development, and the history of nuclear power. After studying at the University of Michigan, he spent over a decade at TerraPower, LLC in Seattle working on core design, business support, software development, and configuration management. Nick has been active in public education, and is the founder of whatisnuclear.com. He speaks at many schools and events, coordinated the digitization of numerous archival films, and was featured on both NPR’s Science Friday and the National Academy of Science’s Distinctive Voices series. Outside of nuclear he enjoys paddle boarding in Lake Union, walking his dog (Waffles), hiking in the Cascades, and tweeting about nuclear energy.
Zoom Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85702297651?pwd=R1dnNlF6OE5LOTRoM1laUUZOYnRCUT09 Meeting ID 857 0229 7651 Passcode 048089
Free Film: ‘Nuclear Now’ by Oliver Stone
After movie discussion: Dr. Nick Touran, nuclear engineer at TerraPower Bring your questions!
Thur, March 7, 2024 at 6pm, Pigott Auditorium, Seattle University,
Come watch ‘Nuclear Now’ by the iconic director Oliver Stone (‘JFK’, ‘Platoon’, ‘Natural Born Killers’). A compelling movie talking about why we have to include nuclear energy to mitigate climate change.
We don’t have time to pick our favorite clean energy source. “So, how can we lift billions of people from poverty while rapidly cutting greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane — and, in many countries, coal? One clear solution is the inclusion of nuclear in the green energy mix, as engineers have been commercializing new, smaller nuclear reactor designs that can be mass-manufactured at low cost.” Oliver Stone
Climate Action: Our Clean Energy Future Climate activist Bill McKibben will join us via Zoom to kick off a symposium on Our Clean Energy Future. We will also be joined by Dr. Charlyne Smith (Ph.D nuclear engineering) from the Breakthrough Institute who will lead a panel discussion on the role of nuclear power. Dr. James Conca and Scott Montgomery (UW, Jackson School of Intl. Studies) will join her. David Logsdon (Seattle City Light) will discuss the future of hydropower in Washington and Seattle’s grid resiliency. Jennifer Grove (Dir. WA state Dept. of Commerce Clean Energy Fund) will discuss programs to reduce the energy burden on low income families.
By Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS)
Date and time : Saturday, January 6, 2024 · 9am – 12pm PST
Location : Pigott Auditorium 901 12th Avenue Pigott Building Seattle, WA 98122
Agenda
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Coffee and pastries
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Welcome
Dr. Phillip Thompson is the founding director of the Seattle University Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability. He is also a professor of environmental engineering who specializes in water and wastewater treatment and hazardous waste remediation.
9:15 AM – 9:50 AM The State of the Climate Crisis
Bill McKibben is an author, educator, and environmentalist, who helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, and who has recently helped found Third Act, to build a progressive organizing movement for people over the age of 60.
9:50 AM – 10:00 AM Break
10:00 AM – 10:40 AM Seattle’s Hydropower and Grid Resiliency
David Logsdon is Seattle City Light’s Director of Electrification and Strategic Technology. In this role David works with City leaders to achieve the strategic intent of deep decarbonization.
10:40 AM – 11:10 AM Opportunities for Solar from the Washington State Department of Commerce
Jennifer Grove serves as the Managing Director for the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Clean Energy Fund where she leads statewide initiatives and grant programs that aim to reduce the energy burden for low-income households and make clean energy technology accessible to all.
11:10 AM – 12:00 PM The Future of Nuclear Power – Panel Discussion
Dr. Charlyne Smith
Dr. James Conca
Scott Montgomery
Dr. Charlyne Smith is a Senior Nuclear Energy Analyst on the Nuclear Energy Innovation team at the Breakthrough Institute. Charlyne holds bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics, as well as a master’s and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering. Dr. James Conca is a Trustee of the Herbert M. Parker Foundation in the Tri-Cities, Washington. He has worked on nuclear and energy issues for 40 years at NASA, Washington State University, New Mexico State University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Scott L. Montgomery is an author, geoscientist, and affiliate faculty in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and Department of Earth and Spaces, University of Washington. His books include Powers that Be: Global Energy for the 21st century and Beyond (2008) and Seeing the Light: The Case for Nuclear Power in the Twenty-First Century (2017).
WHAT: A showing of Nuclear Now, the new documentary by Oliver Stone (film website) WHERE: the University of Washington Thomson Hall, RM101 (click for map) WHEN: October 18, 2023 at 6pm WHO: Presented by Friends of Fission NW with discussion featuring Scott Montgomery and Nick Touran
WHAT: A talk about offshore nuclear power plants for rapid deep decarbonization WHO: Nick Touran, Ph.D. (nuclear engineer), sponsored by Science On Tap WHEN: Monday, July 31, 2023, come at 6pm for if you want to buy snacks or food, talk starts at 7pm (calendar link) WHERE: Ravenna Third Place Books, Cafe Arta (map)
While meaningful decarbonization progress has been made, the magnitude of this task cannot be overstated. Deeply decarbonized electric grids in France, Ontario, and Sweden use large fractions of nuclear power, which is accepted as green by many major scientific institutions. Unfortunately, construction schedule slippage and cost overruns have been significant in recent nuclear builds, especially in the West.
This talk will provide a brief overview of nuclear power, and focus on the concept of delivering nuclear power plants via shipyard-based reactor gigafactories. Once built, the plants can either be delivered by sea to a land-based site, or could be operated on floating platforms several kilometers offshore.
While perhaps surprising at first, this approach was seriously considered in the US in the 1970s and is regaining consideration today. This talk will take a deep dive into the historical and technical bases of floating nuclear plants and explore the modern projects focused on ramping them up for deep decarbonization.
Please note the timing! Cafe Arta is open on Monday only for the SoT event. Events are from 7-8pm, but seats go quickly so arrive early. Food can be ordered starting at 5:30pm, we encourage diners order prior to 6:30pm to receive food on time. Seating is limited and is first come, first served. We hope to see you there!
Join Friends of Fission Northwest for a live event at Bickersons Brewhouse in Ballard.
We will start at 6:30pm with a Science Trivia contest with prizes Washington’s energy needs are increasing, given climate change, growth and electrification. The solution is to be sure we include nuclear power in our clean energy mix. Join Dr. James Conca to learn how we can avoid blackouts and get to net-zero carbon emissions. Bring all your questions! Dr. James Conca is a Geo-environmental scientist, specializing in nuclear waste, and an EPA/State environmental consultant. Trustee of the Herbert M. Parker Foundation Free and Live Streamed Beers, soft drinks. Children and dogs both welcome
This is an in-person event; no virtual attendance is available.
A conversation about nuclear energy, climate change, and inspiring young women to go into STEM fields.
On December 15, 2022, Grace Stanke, a senior at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, studying nuclear engineering, took home the Miss America crown along with the scholarship of the Miss America Organization. She additionally won in a talent category for her classical violin performance.
As Miss America 2023, Grace is embarking on a year of service taking her on a tour across the country and she is using her national platform to continue advocating for “Clean Energy – Cleaner Future.” She believes that America needs to convert to zero-carbon energy with a focus on nuclear power and breaking down misconceptions surrounding nuclear energy.
Through it all, her goal is to inspire the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.
With increasing interest in, support for, and desire to become more informed about nuclear energy and how it can help mitigate climate change, combined with the wonderful goal of inspiring young women to enter the STEM fields, the evening promises to be interesting and inspiring. Scott Montgomery, University of Washington faculty from the Jackson School of International Studies, will be the interviewer for the event, and a Q&A will complete the evening. This special event is made possible by Friends of Fission Northwest and the generosity of our donors:
About Friends of Fission Northwest
Friends of Fission Northwest is a grassroots non-profit that, for more than six years, has brought speakers to the Puget Sound region and beyond. We strive to educate the public about the importance of nuclear energy, its value in fighting climate change, and to dispel myths and misinformation about nuclear power.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Friends of Fission Northwest
Dr. Phillip Thompson is the founding director of the Seattle University Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability. He is also a professor of environmental engineering who specializes in water and wastewater treatment and hazardous waste remediation.
Dr. Charlyne Smith
Scott Montgomery
