ANN ARBOR—Two years after a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering partial meltdowns in three nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, decommissioning of the damaged reactors is still in its early stages and recovery is slow in the region around the plant. Experts from U-M’s highly ranked nuclear engineering program are available to discuss reactor safety, health and environmental effects of radiation, nuclear energy policy and nuclear reactors.

REACTOR SAFETY

John Lee, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, is available to discuss nuclear reactor safety and nuclear reactors in general. He is co-author of Risk and Safety Analysis of Nuclear Systems and his research interests include reactor safety analysis, reactor core physics and design analysis, fuel cycle analysis and power plant simulation and control. He can be reached at jcl@umich.edu or (734) 764-9379.

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION

Kimberlee Kearfott, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, is available to discuss the health and environmental impacts of radiation. Her research interests include radiation detection in water and soil samples, environmental monitoring, internal radiation dose assessment and radiation safety. She can be reached at kearfott@umich.edu or (734) 763-9117. She is not available until March 11. Kearfott is also a professor of biomedical engineering and an adjunct professor of radiology.

NUCLEAR ENERGY AND POLITICS

Ronald Gilgenbach, the Chihiro Kikuchi Collegiate Professor and chair of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, is available to discuss nuclear energy in general as well as political aspects of the disaster in Japan and its effects on U.S. policy. He can be reached at rongilg@umich.edu, (734) 763-1261.

NUCLEAR REACTORS

Gary Was, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences and materials science and engineering, is available to discuss the basics of reactor systems and performance of reactor materials. His research interests include studying how materials degrade in reactors, the design of advanced reactor systems and nuclear fuels. He can be reached at gsw@umich.edu or (734) 763-4675. Was is also the Walter J. Weber Jr. Professor of Sustainable Energy, Environmental and Earth Systems Engineering and a professor of material science and engineering.

Bill Martin, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, is available to discuss nuclear reactors. His research interests include computer simulations for analyzing how nuclear reactions unfold in reactors. He can be reached at wrm@umich.edu or (734) 764-5534. He is not available until March 11.

Rodney C. Ewing, Edward H. Kraus Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is chair of the federal Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. The board was established to provide objective expert advice to Congress and the Secretary of Energy on technical issues and to review the technical validity of Department of Energy activities related to implementing the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Ewing has called for an ambitious, long-term national research program to study how nuclear fuels behave under the extreme conditions present during core-melt events like those that occurred at Fukushima. Ewing can be reached at (734) 763-9295 and rodewing@umich.edu.