On Sunday, March 1 at 7pm CT, Rick Mott will be presenting on "How the LNT Model Misled Radiation Science for 70 years." Rick Mott is a retired electrical engineer. He spent a career designing software and signal processing electronics for X-ray spectrometry. He has been granted 7 US patents and is co-inventor of 5 more. He led the engineering team at Princeton Gamma-Tech (PGT), which received two R&D 100 awards in 1994 and 1996. A PGT gamma detector at a nuclear power plant in Sweden was the first outside the Soviet Union to recognize the Chernobyl reactor accident.
Published by Nucleation Capital in Advanced Nuclear, Brilliant thinkers, Energy abundance, Energy transition, Fission, Future of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Radiation & LNT Rules, Scientific debate, Solving nuclear waste, US competitiveness, Venture capital support for nuclear, VIDEO
Dr. Leona Woods Libby (1919–1986) was a physicist who played a vital role in the Manhattan Project and the early development of nuclear science in the United States. At just 23 years old, she was the only woman present when the world’s first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, went critical in 1942. Her work — particularly her design of the boron trifluoride neutron counter — was essential in confirming that a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction had occurred.
Born in La Grange, Illinois, Libby showed remarkable academic promise from a young age. She attended Lyons Township High School and graduated in 1934 at just 14 years old. She then entered the University of Chicago, where she earned a B.S. in Chemistry by 19 and completed her Ph.D. in physical chemistry just three years later. She was quickly recruited to join Enrico Fermi’s team at the university’s Metallurgical Laboratory, where she became a key figure in reactor physics and instrumentation.
After the initial CP-1 experiment, Libby relocated with Fermi’s team to help oversee reactor development at Hanford. There, she contributed to resolving the unexpected xenon poisoning that threatened the B Reactor’s operation. Despite being pregnant during her work at Hanford, she concealed it under loose clothing to remain on the job — highlighting the barriers women scientists faced even at the height of wartime urgency.
Following the war, Libby held fellowships at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Nuclear Studies, Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. She later held academic positions at New York University, the University of Colorado, and UCLA, where she expanded her research into climate science, environmental studies, food irradiation, and engineering. Over her lifetime, she published more than 200 scientific papers and several books.
Libby remained a staunch defender of her work on the Manhattan Project, arguing that the bomb had shortened the war and prevented even greater loss of life. She was also a public advocate for nuclear energy and scientific responsibility.
Awards & Recognition
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Named one of Mademoiselle magazine’s “Women of the Year” in 1946 for her contributions to nuclear science
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Honored posthumously for her contributions to the Manhattan Project and early reactor development
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One of the few women prominently recognized in historical accounts of CP-1 and Hanford’s B Reactor
Sources
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National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (Atomic Heritage Foundation), “Leona Marshall Libby”
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National Park Service, “Leona Woods Marshall Libby”
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National Women’s History Museum, “Leona Libby”
Published by Nucleation Capital in Brilliant thinkers, History Timeline, History-making, Nuclear innovation, Radiation & LNT Rules, Scientific debate, Women in Nuclear, WOMEN IN NUCLEAR GRID
Nucleation’s listing of the notable benefits of nuclear power in helping secure and stabilize the world’s energy supplies in a zero-emission economy, while posing the least amount of ecologic impact, cost and materials burden.
Published by Nuclea_Admin in Advanced Nuclear, Air pollution, Carbon emissions, Climate change, Construction costs, Electrification, Energy abundance, Fail-safe fuels, Fission, Future of Energy, Land Use by Energy, Radiation & LNT Rules, RESOURCES, Solving nuclear waste, Uranium mining & Fuel resources, Zero emission energy
Deep Isolation provides a very promising approach to handling nuclear waste globally, which, in itself, serves to enable the expansion of nuclear energy as a means of addressing climate change.
This is the key message in a press release issued on September 19, 2022 by Deep Isolation titled "Deep Isolation offers opportunity to enable nuclear power expansion," which quotes Nucleation Capital managing partner, Valerie Gardner. The press release reads:
BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The lack of a viable spent fuel disposal solution remains an obstacle to the increasing global interest in nuclear power that guarantees energy security and helps enable a net zero world. Deep Isolation, a leading innovator in nuclear waste disposal solutions, is today kicking off an opportunity for investors to participate in the only scalable long-term solution for nuclear waste.
Deep Isolation's advanced disposal technology brings a promising option to break through the nuclear waste disposal stalemate, enabling a more certain future for nuclear energy developers seeking to capitalize on this ESG opportunity.
With much of Europe and the world increasingly viewing nuclear as necessary for addressing both energy security and climate change, the market is primed for significant expansion, as highlighted with the International Energy Agency's forecast that nuclear capacity will more than double between 2020 and 2050. Investor interest is following, with Clean Tech, ESG, and Climate investors increasingly leaning into advanced nuclear technologies.
One of the most significant enablers for the expanded use of nuclear power is nuclear waste disposal. Starting January 1, 2023, all new nuclear power developers across the European Union will be required under the Complementary Climate Delegated Act to establish operational plans for a disposal solution to meet Europe's climate change aspirations.
"Deep Isolation is solving the 'what about the waste?' problem. Their solution is elegant, effective, distributed and exactly what nuclear energy communities need," said Valerie Gardner, Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital. "Happily, we expect it to be available at the right price and the right time to help enable the growth of next-generation nuclear."
To date, Deep Isolation has raised $24 million, including a $21 million Series A raise in 2020 led by nuclear industry leader NAC International, Inc. The solution provides a new path for accessing the $667 billion addressable nuclear waste disposal market.
"Deep Isolation is well-positioned to deliver significant returns on investment in timeframes that are aligned with VC requirements," said Deep Isolation CEO and co-founder Liz Muller. "Nuclear has become not only a smart investment but a crucial one. With a deadline now set in In Europe, we offer the only timely, scalable, safe, cost-effective option for most countries to meet it."
The company encourages interested parties to submit investment inquiries by September 23. It will be running a competitive process that will kick off on September 26. Visit http://www.deepisolation.com to learn more.
Nucleation Capital, the world’s first advanced nuclear venture fund, provides accredited investors with a range of pathways for investing in ventures like Deep Isolation that are both more accessible and more affordable than typical venture capital. For example, the fund is currently hosting a syndicated SPV for Deep Isolation that enables individuals to participate for as little as $1,000 at the same terms as Nucleation iself invests in the underlying deal.
SPV's can be a very cost-effective way to gain exposure to restricted private equity shares, because it pools investmens from smaller investors into a single vehicle. Accredited investors are invited to join the Nucleation syndicate.1
[Please note: the Deep Isolation syndicate closes on Sept. 30, 2022.]
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Footnote
[1] The Nucleation Syndicate is only for accredited investors and is hosted at AngelList, which conducts its own accreditation. Only those who qualify are able to join this or other syndicated offerings.
Published by Valerie Gardner in Advanced Nuclear, Energy abundance, Future of Energy, International support for nuclear, NEWS, Nuclear competitiveness, Radiation & LNT Rules, Solving climate, Solving nuclear waste, US technological leadership, Women in Nuclear
The UNECE's report,Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation Options, published in October 29, 2021 and updated May 4, 2022, contains more than fifty figures detailing the life cycle findings relating to the impacts of various types of electricity generation. On nearly every dimension, we can see the high generation and low ecologic impact of nuclear, especially relative to other types of energy. This data provides support for the unique value of low-carbon nuclear energy to global decarbonization.
Published by Nucleation Capital in 100% Renewables, Air pollution, Carbon emissions, Electrification, ENERGY TOOLS, Fossil fuels, Future of Energy, Land Use by Energy, Nuclear competitiveness, Radiation & LNT Rules, Solving climate
Rod Adams, managing partner of Nucleation Capital, speaks with Chris Keefer, an emergency physician, medical instructor, nuclear energy activist, and the host of Decouple. Chris and Rod focus on the health impacts of nuclear energy, in particular radiation dosage and the impacts of the application of the Linear Non-Threshold theory (LNT), which effectively deems any amount of radiation to add health risk. Please click the above podcast link to listen to "Means, Motive, Opportunity: Fossil Fueled Radiophobia feat," or head over to Anchor at Spotify to download and subscribe to the Decouple podcast.
Published by Valerie Gardner in Advanced Nuclear, Brilliant thinkers, Energy abundance, NEWS, Nuclear competitiveness, Nuclear maritime propulsion, Nuclear R&D, Nucleation communications, Radiation & LNT Rules
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