'Understanding Tomorrow's Nuclear Energy' lecture series continues in October; registration open

Purdue University and Duke Energy will host the next installments of the “Understanding Tomorrow’s Nuclear Energy” lecture series during October.

Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, will present “A New Landscape for New Nuclear” from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 5 in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. 

Director-General William D. Magwood IV of the Nuclear Energy Agency will present “The 21st Century Nuclear Resurgence: Opportunities and Challenges” from 3-4 p.m. ET on Oct. 24 in the Purdue Memorial Union’s North and South Ballrooms.

Both events will be livestreamed, and registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

Maria Korsnick and “A New Landscape for New Nuclear”

Drawing on her engineering background, hands-on experience in reactor operations, and a deep knowledge of energy policy and regulatory issues, Korsnick aims to increase understanding of nuclear energy’s economic and environmental benefits among policymakers and the public. Before joining NEI, she was senior vice president of Northeast Operations for Exelon Corp., responsible for overseeing operation of the Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2, R.E. Ginna, and Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 nuclear power plants.

Korsnick’s “A New Landscape for New Nuclear” will look at how world leaders across the political spectrum are recognizing that adding reliable, scalable, carbon-free nuclear energy generation is crucial to addressing climate and energy security needs. As demand for the technology grows, nuclear is now on the same playing field as other carbon-free sources like wind and solar — ready to reduce emissions and support the clean energy grid of the future.

William D. Magwood and “The 21st Century Nuclear Resurgence: Opportunities and Challenges”

With extensive experience in both the regulatory and developmental aspects of nuclear energy, including at the international level, Magwood has served in his current role at the NEA since 2014. He previously was one of the five commissioners to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and was director of the U.S. government’s civilian nuclear energy program at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Magwood’s “The 21st Century Nuclear Resurgence: Opportunities and Challenges” will review the factors and considerations that have led to a surge in interest in nuclear energy around the world, the likes of which has not been seen since the beginning of the nuclear energy era more than 60 years ago. He will highlight the issues that could lead to failure if not quickly and adequately addressed and to the structural barriers that will require new thinking by regulators and policymakers in many countries if success is to be within our reach.

Purdue University and Duke Energy are jointly exploring the feasibility of using advanced nuclear energy to meet the West Lafayette campus community’s long-term energy needs. The study is focused on whether power produced through Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) could be a potential fit for Purdue’s energy needs. More information about the study and the lecture series is available at https://bit.ly/advanced-nuclear.