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- Convenors:
-
Susan Molyneux-Hodgson
(University of Exeter)
Robbe Geysmans (SCK CEN)
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- Format:
- Combined Format Open Panel
Short Abstract:
STS engagement in nuclear debate has come and gone over time. Meanwhile, inter- and transdisciplinary ways of working are prominent in thinking and acting in STS. This panel will consider the intersection of inter/ transdisciplinary policy and practice with nuclear energy, both present and future.
Long Abstract:
Societal shifts away from fossil-fuel reliance, whether rhetorical or realisable, have opened larger spaces for discussion on the future energy mix to be aimed for and the ways in which this can be achieved. Alongside, and post-Fukushima, there has been a marked divergence in views on the place of nuclear in this energy mix, both in national policies and local debates. For some nations, a resurgence in nuclear innovation is the proposed solution to meeting future energy demand, for others, nuclear is off the table.
The engagement of STS scholars in nuclear debate has come and gone over time. Meanwhile, inter- and trans-disciplinary ways of working have come more to the fore in terms of thinking and acting in STS. This panel will consider the intersections of inter/ transdisciplinary policy and practice and nuclear energy presents and futures. We aim to ask:
What matters of concerns are present or absent in nuclear discussion?
What new forms of STS engagement with nuclear have emerged and what are the specific challenges around STS interaction with nuclear? are productive forms of societal interaction possible with the nuclear realm?
Are emerging nuclear innovations (e.g. small modular reactors) shifting debate and/or presenting new challenges to STS, to stakeholder engagement and to public discourse?
The panel invites contributions on the challenges and opportunities for trans- and interdisciplinary collaborations in research, development, innovation, and decision-making in the nuclear realm via studies of, and experiences with, inter/transdisciplinary interaction with technological innovation, and with a focus on conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches to understanding and challenging such collaborations. We welcome academic papers/presentations (ethnographic encounters, policy analysis, citizen science), video essays, storytelling and interactive formats.
The panel is organised with the ECOSENS project and SHARE research platform and will also involve a Workshop session (to be submitted separately).
Accepted contributions:
Session 1Maria Rentetzi (Friedrich-Alexadner-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) Aske Hennelund Nielsen (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) Linda Richards (Oregon State University) Véronique Stenger
Short abstract:
This paper collectively argues that the international nuclear regulatory system that was created by the United Nations during the second half of the 20th century has been highly asymmetrical, aiming to sustain the power of the nuclear haves.
Long abstract:
This paper collectively argues that the international nuclear regulatory system that was created by the United Nations during the second half of the 20th century has been highly asymmetrical, aiming to sustain the power of the nuclear haves. Using the complex, often powerless UN international regulatory system, the leadership of the big nuclear powers have set the scenery of today’s conflicts. Having looked meticulously at several UN archives, we are able to trace the negotiations among the different UN international organizations that took place during the first decade after the Second World War over nuclear regulation and led to the establishment of the IAEA. Starting from the late 1950s, the IAEA has promoted the establishment of world peace based on nuclear regulation and development. Even though there were numerous UN related organizations and affiliated agencies that had developed programs and expressed direct interests in the nuclear field, the IAEA eventually won the day. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) were sidelined concerning nuclear matters. Four authors coming from several different disciplines, sat around the same table, put together their archival material from different UN archives, their methodologies and knowledge in a hands-on exercise on how to write the transnational history of nuclear regulation.
Nadja Zeleznik (EIMV)
Short abstract:
Lessons learnt from EURAD programme which included interaction with civil society as part of the implementation and some findings for future.
Long abstract:
EURAD is EU co-founded five-years joint programme on radioactive waste management (RWM). It is based on jointly adopted strategic research agenda which direct the research and development (R&D) activities from responsible actors, namely waste management organisations (WMOs), technical safety organisations (TSOs) and research entities (Res). One of the EURAD foundations is also the involvement of different Civil Society (CS) participants which have specific concern on RWM safety, but they are not research partners. They are involved in the perspective of Aarhus Convention implementation by using double wing model with CS experts involved in the work itself and larger CS group providing feedback and suggestions. Such interactions aim at improving mutual understanding of how and to what extent R&D activities on RWM make sense and contribute improving decisions. Interaction with CS also contribute to developing ideas, propositions and methodologies on how to interact with Civil Society on scientific and technical results, how to deal with uncertainties, and how to interact with Civil Society in order to promote mutual benefit of available knowledge. The paper will present the experience from interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary involvement in EURAD from CS view and findings for future similar activities.
Robbe Geysmans (SCK CEN)
Short abstract:
This contribution draws on an ongoing research project on lead-cooled nuclear technologies, to present how techno-scientific nuclear researchers and engineers perceive responsible research and innovation, and their role in it. It also discusses methodogolical challenges of studying this topic.
Long abstract:
Pleas for increased responsiveness, anticipation, inclusivity and reflection regarding societal needs and impacts of innovation have increased over the years. This has sparked questions on how a stronger sociotechnical integration can be achieved, in order to align technological advancements more closely with societal values. In this contribution, experiences regarding such alignment from an ongoing research project on lead-cooled nuclear technologies are presented and discussed. In the project, named ANSELMUS, one of the research tasks is dedicated to reflections and actions regarding the integration of social and ethical considerations in techno-scientific research. Using a short questionnaire, Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR) sessions and a workshop, insight is gained in how engineers and technical researchers working in the project perceive responsible research and innovation, and their role therein. This contribution focuses particularly on the experiences gained at the Belgian Nuclear Centre, providing relevant insights in researchers’ perceptions about socio-technical entanglements in their everyday work. Specific emphasis is put on the (limited) agency researchers attribute themselves in influencing the course and contents of research and development, referring to perceived structural factors such as secrecy, organizational hierarchies and limited resources. Finally, this presentation also reflects on challenges experienced when conducting research on socio-technical integration, with particular attention for organizational reforms, and the handling of differing expectations and ontologies.
brandon costelloe-kuehn (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) James Olson (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
Short abstract:
This presentation shares insights from a multi-year research and redesign project emerging from collaboration between colleagues in STS, nuclear engineering, and beyond the academy. Liquid sodium reactors are investigated for the potential to disrupt predictable debates and reframe challenges.
Long abstract:
This presentation draws together investigations of transdisciplinarity and community engagement in a U.S. Department of Energy-funded project called “Collaborative Paradigm for Engagement.” The co-authors, a faculty member in Science and Technologies Studies (STS) and a Nuclear Engineering professor, reflect on their work to leverage Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) and STS perspectives to build a Toolkit for Community Engagement. This Toolkit will inform the U.S. government’s approach to “Consent-Based Siting” of one or more consolidated interim storage facilities for commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Unique among the consortia funded to improve this process, the team behind this presentation is investigating how a facility could repurpose the SNF. The proposed facility is needed to mature demonstrated nuclear technologies beyond the legacy light-water fleet, most notably liquid-sodium-based reactors, in a way that could reduce uranium mining and support diverse community interests. Rather than assume light-water reactor technology is the best option available, we argue that the public was never able to participate in nuclear technology development or evaluation, and that dialogue around the potential benefits and risks of liquid sodium reactor technology is long overdue. The “collaborative paradigm” disrupts sorting of tasks and topics into “social” and “technical” categories and seeks opportunities for meaningful engagement with community partners. Mutual learning, including both the “content” of NSE fundamentals and the context – historical, economic, legal, etc. – of NSE development is at the core of the project. Social scientists, NSE experts, and community partners all are recognized for contributing necessary knowledge, values, and experiences, while differences among the partners’ needs, capacity, and power are continually grappled with. Ultimately, the project aims to create new contexts for engagement that go beyond predictable and perpetual debates and invest in building relationships that could lead to emergent possibilities and innovative transdisciplinary and community-engaged solutions.
Gaston Meskens (SCK CEN, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre)
Short abstract:
Interactive 'Making and Doing' session on the theory and practice of transdisciplinarity, with the aim to share experiences from participation in inter- and transdisciplinary projects, and to reflect on the role of Social Sciences and Humanities in policy advice and in nuclear research in general.
Long abstract:
The complexity of nuclear risk governance inherently calls for approaches integrating multiple disciplines and various forms and sources of knowledge. In this session, we reflect on transdisciplinarity, as a paradigm that embraces this complexity, and describe examples of potential venues that have supported - or have the potential to support - nuclear research, policy and practice to become self-reflexive and transdisciplinary. These venues are rather diverse, located in policies and projects, research teams and networks, partnerships with civil society actors and citizen science initiatives. While they share several challenges and potential benefits regarding transdisciplinarity with wider fields, each venue also attends to specific contexts with their own limitations and possibilities.
After an introduction by the session chair, participants are invited to share experiences from participating in inter- and transdisciplinary projects, and to reflect on the role of Social Sciences and Humanities in policy advice and in nuclear research in general.