January 7-8, 2008, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Watch video and listen to podcasts from “Uncertainty in Long Term Planning-Nuclear Waste Management, A Case Study.”  The Jan. 7-8, 2008, symposium and celebration was held in honor Frank L. Parker, Distinguished Professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University.

The conditions of nuclear waste management today were examined as a basis for exploring the potential paths forward over the mandated time period of 1 million years. Technical, programmatic, social, financial and natural risks over these time periods, as well as inter- and intra-generational responsibilities, are considered. The possible changes, both positive and negative, in medical knowledge, technology, society and environmental conditions are discussed. Speakers and additional participants with diverse technical, social, political, philosophical and national backgrounds propose potentially societally acceptable paths forward and the advantages and disadvantages of each of the paths.

Sponsored by: The Mason Foundation, The Garrick Foundation, and The Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP).