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The dynamics of technical communities through the multiple phases of a Nuclear Waste Management Project

13th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference 2011, IHLRWMC 2011

Jenkins-Smith, Hank; Silva, Carol; Davidson, Tim; Bonano, Evaristo J.

The implementation of a project for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste (e.g., spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste) has proven to be one of the most challenging technical and political endeavors facing modern societies. The process of moving the project from site selection and characterization to licensing nuclear waste management facilities places shifting and, in some cases, conflicting demands on the community of technical experts engaged in providing the conceptual and quantitative bases for assessing facility safety and demonstrating regulatory compliance. At the same time, the accumulation and preservation of site-specific knowledge, data and modeling concerning the relevant components of the site is of urgent importance for the success of the overall process. To date, the evolving demands placed on these technical communities have received little systematic attention. The US efforts to site nuclear waste management facilities have faced significant challenges in developing and maintaining appropriate technical staffing, and based on recent policy shifts those challenges are likely to grow larger. This paper employs interviews with technical professionals from the US nuclear waste disposal program to analyze ways in which technical, social and political factors influence the performance of technical experts in lengthy, complex projects such as one for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste. The focus is on the interaction of the organizational and professional culture with evolving technical and professional demands. Recommendations are made for the design of sustainable technical organizations for performance of long-term risk analyses for nuclear waste management project.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2011
ScopusOSTI
Results 76–100 of 108
Results 76–100 of 108