Next Event: The New Nuclear Age: Innovation, Safety, and the Future of Energy. Friday, September 25 | 1:30 – 3:00 PM
You're Invited: The Bill Kellogg UNA-BC Discussion Series
Location: Boulder Creek Room, Main Branch, Boulder Public Library
Dear Supporters of UNA-BC,
Nuclear energy is undergoing a quiet revolution. A new generation of reactor designs — smaller, safer, and radically different from the plants of the past — is challenging old assumptions about what nuclear power can be. Small modular reactors. Thorium molten-salt systems. Passive safety features that make meltdown nearly impossible by design. Countries like South Korea are demonstrating that nuclear can be built faster, safer, and more efficiently than many thought possible.
At the same time, demand for electricity is exploding — driven by data centers, AI, and cryptocurrency mining — forcing a hard look at whether nuclear can and should be part of the answer.
Is this the birth of a genuinely new approach to nuclear energy — one built on a safety-first mindset and next-generation technology? Join us for a panel-led discussion exploring this pivotal moment, featuring Tim Oakes, Alan Taddiken, and Robert McNown.
Questions Our Panelists Will Explore:
Tim Oakes will draw on his comparative research into nuclear power in China and Japan to ask:
What does it take to build genuine public trust in nuclear technology — and how have different societies succeeded or failed at it?
How might a "sociotechnical" approach, one that treats safety as a social and cultural achievement as much as an engineering one, shape the next generation of nuclear development?
What lessons from Japan's and China's divergent paths can inform a safer, more trusted nuclear future elsewhere?
Alan Taddiken will bring his experience analyzing nuclear facilities in New York State to ask:
What policy and regulatory frameworks are best equipped to support safe, well-sited nuclear development?
How can economic development goals align with rigorous safety and environmental standards as new reactor technologies come online?
What does responsible, forward-looking nuclear policy look like in practice?
Robert McNown will focus on the economics of nuclear power to ask:
Can new reactor technologies deliver nuclear power that is not just safer, but genuinely cost-competitive?
How should we weigh the economics of next-generation nuclear against the soaring energy demands of data centers and crypto mining?
What would it take for nuclear to become a central, trusted pillar of the clean energy transition?
The Panel Will Also Explore:
Reimagining reactor design: How small modular reactors (SMRs) and thorium molten-salt reactors are engineering safety in from the ground up — reducing meltdown risk, minimizing waste, and shrinking the footprint of nuclear power.
A global model: What South Korea's nuclear program reveals about building reactors faster, safer, and more efficiently — and what other nations can learn from it.
Decentralized power: How small-scale and next-generation reactors could bring safe, reliable energy to remote communities and industrial sites without the scale of traditional plants.
Nuclear on the move: The safety, security, and regulatory questions raised by transporting nuclear materials and reactors — including the emerging possibilities of nuclear-powered shipping.
This is a conversation about where nuclear energy is headed, not just where it's been. We hope you'll join us — and please feel free to invite friends, family, or colleagues who want to be part of this forward-looking discussion.
RSVP here: https://events.humanitix.com/the-new-nuclear-age-innovation-safety-and-the-future-of-energy
We look forward to seeing you there.
About Our Panelists
Tim Oakes is Professor in the Department of Geography at CU Boulder and former Director of the Center for Asian Studies at CU. He received his PhD in geography from the University of Washington in 1995 and has held visiting faculty positions around the world, including at the University of Iowa, University of Technology Sydney, Guizhou Minzu University, Wageningen University, National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong, and University of Oslo. He is co-editor of Living in Nuclear Asia: Sociotechnical Perspectives on Nuclear Power Development, Risk, and Vulnerability (forthcoming from University of Toronto Press), which compares Japanese and Chinese experiences of nuclear power development.
Alan Taddiken built a career spanning two major roles: principal analyst at the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, NY, with a focus on urban planning and human resources, and later director of policy for the New York State Department of Economic Development, serving under both Democratic and Republican governors. In these roles, Alan was directly involved in analyses of nuclear energy facilities in New York.
Robert McNown is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Economics at CU Boulder, where he also served as Director of the Program on International Affairs, an interdisciplinary undergraduate major. His current interest in nuclear energy centers on the costs and benefits of this energy source amid soaring demand from data centers and crypto mining operations.
