In this episode, our host, Liz Williams, chats with Mark Schneider about nuclear supply chains and workforce readiness. Mark is the Chief Nuclear Officer for UBH Group, and he's spent much of his adult life in the nuclear industry. He was invited to join us for an episode because of his work on helping companies meet a standard called ISO 19443, which was designed to help companies internationally contribute safely to a nuclear supply chain. Over the course of the episode, we learn why this standard is being discussed in Australia, what it’s meant to do, and how that fits into the broader picture of Australia’s contribution to AUKUS.

CREDITS

Guest: Mark Schneider, UBH Group

Host / Producer: Liz Williams, ANU School of Engineering

Assistant Producer: Julieanne Dougherty (ANU Nuclear Stewardship Network)

Audio Producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

Thanks to Ashley Schneider, who originally introduced Liz to Mark.

Links to organisations / information mentioned in the show:

IAEA

Framatome

ISO 19443

DuraTec

UBH Group

The usual end matter:

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society and the ANU Nuclear Stewardship Network. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. In particular, nothing in this episode is intended to serve as medical advice - please consult a qualified medical practitioner.

The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.

Gold is mined at about one gram per tonne, which means every decision a gold mining company makes rests on somebody being able to measure a very small amount of gold, very accurately, in a very large amount of rock. Our guest in this episode replaced the century-old chemical method for doing that with an approach that draws from nuclear science.

Dr James Tickner is chief scientist and co-founder of Chrysos Corporation. In this wide ranging discussion, we talk about mining, entrepreneurship, and the sometimes tricky process involved in changing how things are done in a well-established industry like mining.

CREDITS

Guest: Dr James Tickner

Host: A/Prof Elizabeth Williams

Producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

The usual end matter:

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society and the ANU Nuclear Stewardship Network. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. In particular, nothing in this episode is intended to serve as medical advice - please consult a qualified medical practitioner.

The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.

Imagine a global network of sensor stations, ready to detect even the smallest nuclear weapons test. This network is in fact a reality. As we learned in our last episode, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation’s monitoring network is up, running, and ready for the Treaty to enter into force. One of the most important of those stations is located in Australia's remote Northern Territory – the Warramunga Seismic and Infrasound Facility – and it's directed by Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić, Head of Geophysics at the Australian National University.

In this episode, Professor Tkalčić joins our host, A/Prof Liz Williams, to talk about what seismology actually is – how waves generated by earthquakes, storms, and even whale calls can be used to see inside the earth – and how the extraordinary silence of the Australian outback makes it one of the best places on the planet to listen for nuclear tests.

Professor Tkalčić is also the author of a brand-new popular science book called, When Worlds Quake: The Quest to Understand the Interior of Earth and Beyond, which has just been released in the English language by Princeton University Press [link to publisher page here].

CREDITS

Guest: Professor Hrvoje Tkalcic

Host: A/Prof Elizabeth Williams

Audio Producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

The usual end matter

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society and the ANU Nuclear Stewardship Network. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. In particular, nothing in this episode is intended to serve as medical advice - please consult a qualified medical practitioner.

The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.