S02E07: Exploring the nuclear mindset, with Veronica Taylor, Ed Simpson, and Will Grant

The Algorithmic Futures Podcast

In this episode, we explore the “nuclear mindset” – a term being thrown around in discussions about Australia’s plans to acquire conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines as part of the AUKUS trilateral partnership between the US, UK, and Australia. With the help of Veronica Taylor, Will Grant, and Ed Simpson, guest co-host AJ Mitchell and I explore what a nuclear mindset might look like, and discuss how we can help train a new generation of nuclear technology creators, regulators and dreamers approach their work with the care needed to make use of nuclear technologies safely, responsibly, and securely in an Australian context.

Along the way, we talk about Australia’s already lengthy history of working with nuclear technologies, tricky considerations like how to manage nuclear waste (even for widely accepted applications like nuclear medicine), and far more in this wide ranging and transdisciplinary discussion. There will be lessons in this episode for anyone who designs, manages, or regulates technologies used in safety-critical applications – including those enabled by artificial intelligence.

Episode Credits:

Host: Liz Williams

Guest co-host: AJ Mitchell

AJ Mitchell is a Senior Lecturer in the ANU Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications. He is the convenor of the ANU Graduate Certificate of Nuclear Technology Regulation, does research in fundamental nuclear structure and applied nuclear science, and is a passionate educator and science communicator. He is also actively involved in teacher-training projects in Timor Leste and leads a program with the University of Yangon in Myanmar to build teaching and research capacity in physics.

Guests:

Veronica Taylor, the Professor of Law and Regulation in the School of Regulation and Global Governance (or RegNet) at ANU. She is former Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, is a member of the ANU Steering Group on Nuclear Technology Stewardship, and is one of the chief investigators for the newly awarded Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Radiation Innovation.

Will Grant is Associate Professor in Science Communication at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, which is based at ANU, and is a prolific writer and contributor on the interaction between science, politics and technology. He is also a member of the ANU Working Group on Nuclear Technology Stewardship. Will has some fantastic podcasts of his own: The Wholesome Show, G'day Patriots and G'day Sausages.

Ed Simpson is a Senior Lecturer at the ANU Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications, Nuclear Science Lead for the ANU Research School of Physics, and is one of the few nuclear theorists I know who can hold his own in laboratory settings. He is heavily involved in nuclear science education here on campus, has experience in government through service as an Australian Science Policy Fellow, and is also a Chief Investigator on the new Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Radiation Innovation.

Producers: Liz Williams, Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio), Zena Assaad

Acknowledgements: A special thanks to the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS)for allowing us to use their recording studio for this episode.

For the full episode transcript, visit: https://algorithmicfutures.org/s02e07/

Regarding the explicit rating: This episode mentions nuclear weapons and weapons testing, and also talks about the use of nuclear propulsion for Defence. If you don't wish to discuss these topics with small children, it may be worth saving this episode for another time.