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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
M. Jack Ohanian was a passionate and tireless nuclear educator throughout his career. An ANS Fellow, he was an active member of the Society from 1964 until his death in 2011.
He was born on August 7, 1933 in Istanbul, Turkey and was educated there until he came to the U.S. in 1956 to study as an exchange student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Ohanian became a faculty member at the University of Florida (UF) in 1963, where he taught for 38 years. In 1969, he was named the Department Chairman of Nuclear Engineering. He was named the Associate Dean for Research for the College of Engineering in 1979, and in 1998 he became the interim Dean of the Graduate School and the VP of Research at UF. A year later he was made interim Dean for Engineering, a position he held until his retirement.
His dedication to the field of engineering included his service to the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) as chairman.
Ohanian earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Robert College, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from RPI.
Just prior to becoming A U.S. citizen in 1967, he was awarded the American Legion’s Medal of Valor for helping to save a father and daughter in a river in Oleno State Park, Florida.
Dr. M. Jack Ohanian passed away on October 31, 2011.
Read Nuclear News from July 1990 for more on Jack.
