May 5, 2010

Burton Richter, Director Emeritus, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Prof. Burton Richter’s book, Beyond Smoke and Mirrors, is now available. It is written for the non-expert and goes over climate change (what we know, how we know it, uncertainties), energy options (supply, emissions, potential), and policy options (sensible, senseless, and self-serving). Nuclear energy is one of the options discussed and that will be the main focus of this seminar.



Nuclear energy as a source of electricity is growing worldwide. In Europe, even Germany is reconsidering its commitment to shut down its nuclear plants soon. Other countries like Italy, which abandoned its nuclear energy program after the Chernobyl accident, are returning to nuclear power as a way to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets. In Asia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea are undergoing a major nuclear energy expansion, some because of the need for more secure energy supplies, others for reasons similar to Europe’s. Opponents of nuclear energy cite four issues: cost, radiation and accident potential, waste disposal, and risk of more proliferation of weapons. All of these issues will be reviewed.



Bio: Burton Richter, Paul Pigott Professor of Physical Sciences Emeritus at Stanford University, is a Nobel Laureate (Physics 1976) and specialized in elementary particle physics. His current work emphasizes science policy and energy supply issues, particularly nuclear energy.

The Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) has been established as a new independent institute at Stanford that engages in a broad-ranging, interdisciplinary program of research and education on energy - applying fundamental research to the problem of supplying energy in environmentally and economically acceptable ways, using it efficiently, and facing the behavioral, social, and policy challenges of creating new energy systems for the U.S. and the world.