The historical development of nuclear energy as an enabling technology will be reviewed. Current successes and key milestones will be presented. Lessons-learned from the three major nuclear accidents during the past four decades will be assessed and subsequent actions and mitigation strategies will be presented. There is much activity world-wide at this time by developers and users of nuclear energy and related technologies. These will be highlighted along with some of the challenges that remain for the future of nuclear energy.
Dr. Robert A. Bari is a Senior Physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory and has over 40 years of experience in nuclear energy. For more than 25 years, Dr. Bari served at all levels of management at the laboratory. He is co-chairman of the working group on proliferation resistance and physical protection of the Generation IV International Forum. Dr. Bari has served on the Board of Directors of the American Nuclear Society and as President of the International Association for Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management. He was awarded the Theo J. “Tommy” Thompson Award in 2003 by the American Nuclear Society. In 2004, he received the Brookhaven National Laboratory Award for Outstanding Achievement in Science and Technology. He is a fellow of the American Nuclear Society and of the American Physical Society. He has been a committee member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences on Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety and Security of the U.S. Nuclear Plants. Dr. Bari has also recently chaired a workshop of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences on safety and security culture held jointly between the U.S. and Brazil in Sao Paolo. He received his doctorate from Brandeis University (1970) and his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University (1965). He was awarded membership in the Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Sigma Pi Sigma honor societies.
