A summary of the discussion that took place at the NuClean Kick-Off Workshop. The NuClean Kick-Off workshop was held on Nov. 7, 2013 at the Handlery Union Square Hotel in San Francisco, CA, co-located with the AIChE 2013 Annual Meeting. For more information on NuClean, visit: http://www.aiche.org/cei/conferences/nuclean-workshop/2013. For more information on AIChE's Center for Energy Initiatives (CEI), visit: http://www.aiche.org/cei.

1. Summary from Workshop
Discussion
NuClean Workshop
Nov. 7, 2013

2. Discussion
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Summary of Panels by moderators
Where are the gaps and needs?
What is the role and focus of NuClean?
Who should participate?
How to organize NuClean?
How to move forward?

3. Gaps and Needs
Government: Direction and $$
R&D
Best Practices
Engineering Practice
Communities
Biggest need lies in the connectors between boxes: management, communication, info flow
“Problems are often solved at interfaces”

4. Big Take-Aways
• Without input from all stakeholders, technological
solutions to the nuclear waste problems are not
solutions at all if they do not account for social needs
and/or the public does not believe they will solve the
problem.
• Engineers, scientists and other professionals know
how to work inside the boxes, but they are less
engaged on how to work between them; the greatest
need is at the interfaces between the boxes: in the
effective flow of information, communications, and
appreciation of public perception of risk and of social
impacts. This requires working with social
scientists, public policy
developers, epidemiologists, communities, etc.

5. Gaps and Needs
• Advisory Role: Trusted information source to
federal, state, and local governments, Tribal communities on
nuclear waste actions as well as nuclear waste management
inefficiencies; address public concerns by assembling key
team of experts to engage community members, address risk
concerns, assemble information, answer questions, facilitate
paths to action.
• R&D support through a center of knowledge which engages
all stakeholders: Information clearinghouse/ data repository /
white papers (knowledge management)
• Education: help develop / share curriculum materials which
incorporate nuclear issues and provide chemical engineering
and sustainability perspectives

6. Specific Gaps and Needs
Given the Lack of Education / declining workforce/ nuclear waste
issues that exist and persists but are not being effectively resolved:
• Education of chemical engineering students in nuclear
applications, professionals, stakeholders; need for
knowledgeable workforce; development of case studies in
nuclear waste management for ChemEs, etc.
• Educational resource for internships in these areas:
development of programs or linking to existing programs; AIChE
WISE program…
• Educate the public; educate the science and engineering
workforce to work with the public in communicating risk and
work with with social scientists and health professionals.
• Develop R&D programs; influence Congress and Agencies to
allocate $$ for this (DOE NE R&D grants). Can use AIChE’s Public
Affairs and Information Committee.

7. Comments
• Can discussions about a ‘clean’ nuclear fuel cycle be
considered neutral? Probably not
• Faculty and government/industrial researchers don’t typically
see the nuclear industry as relevant to chemical engineering
• Process safety not covered as part of nuclear engineering
education; it is a key issue that is core to AIChE’s strength
• Application within AIChE of its best core activities: CCPS and
IfS, applying Chemical Process Safety and Sustainability to
nuclear issues; chemical processing is core ChemE expertise.
• Inefficient/ineffective waste management practices
• Intersection between ChemE and NuclearE: waste
management, process safety, hazards
management, containment, worker protection

8. Comments
• Chemical Engineering Education: integrate nuclear
applications into the curriculum; utilize case studies regarding
nuclear applications throughout the curriculum. Make
processing of nuclear materials a recurring theme in AIChE
student design competition.
• How to attract grads to these jobs? What is the market pull?
• Address complexity of management issues regarding national
labs, DOE oversight, flow of information to communities.
• Long term ‘clean’ nuclear: “big, hairy, audacious vision”

9. Workshop or Niche Conference 2014
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Conference with registration fee??
Call for papers/presentations
Seek partial or total sponsorships
Outline the mission and strategies for
developing a center of excellence

10. Potential Work Products
• Advisory function to communities / forums for
exploring issues from multiple sides
• Data collection / information dissemination
• Design guidelines
• White papers geared to all stakeholders

11. Funding
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Grants from DOE?
Gates Foundation
Sloan Foundation
NSF
AIChE Foundation
Workshop funding through
foundations, agencies, universities, and/or
sponsors

12. Steering Committee and Conference
Planning Committee
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Beth Beloff* – Beth Beloff & Associates
Richard V. Calabrese* – AIChE NAMF; University of Maryland
Stuart T Arm* – AIChE NED; Washington River Protection Solutions
Vasilios Manousiouthakis* – AIChE ED; UCLA
Supathorn ‘Supy’ Phongikaroon* – VA Commonwealth University
Chris Whipple – Environ*
David S Kosson – Vanderbilt University, CRESP
Tianxing Cai – Lamar University
David Brown – BHR Group
Stephen Garrison – SRNL
John Olson – Bechtel National
Stephen Paglieri – TDA Research
Maqbool “Mac” Qadir – Enpro Solutions, Inc.
Others from social sciences, epidemiology, public policy…
* Steering Committee

13. Next Steps
• Summarize workshop
• Review Steering Committee volunteers and
develop leadership team
• Clarify direction identified at workshop
• Redefine mission, vision and objectives
• Set meetings and agenda for Steering Committee
and Conference Planning Committee 2014
• Set up NuClean website and post presentations