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
Global Politics, Climate Change, and Nuclear Power
The geopolitics of energy plays a key and dynamic role in modern life, affecting many aspects of international and global decision-making. This truth has been more than highlighted by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Issues surrounding energy are critical to security relationships among regions and nations and are central to all considerations of climate change and its impacts.
Innovation in energy technology today is at the core of the Energy Transition. It has the goals of mitigating global warming and creating more sustainable, less polluting systems for society. In a bold move, the European Union has now accepted nuclear power as a means to help achieve these goals. Such acceptance reflects, in part, growing global Interest in the new technology of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
Come hear a conversation between a nuclear scientist and an energy policy expert on this and other essential developments related to the Energy Transition and its geopolitical realities.
Nick Touran, PhD. A nuclear engineer in Seattle working on the design of an advanced nuclear reactor for a nuclear innovation company, TerraPower. He developed and maintains his website whatisnuclear.com and was a guest on NPR Science Friday.
Scott Montgomery. He is an author, geologist, and affiliate faculty member in the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. He writes, teaches, and lectures on a wide variety of topics related to energy (geopolitics, resources, nuclear power, climate change).
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
