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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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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.
Pamela M. Torres-Jiménez (Old Dominion Univ)
Proceedings | 2018 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2018) | Charlotte, NC, April 8-11, 2018 | Pages 931-934
Nuclear power plants in the United States are closing at an unexpected rate, thus reducing the size of the nuclear power industry which was expected to grow as part of the so-called “nuclear renaissance.” Since growth is becoming more of a wish than a reality, another subsistence strategy for nuclear power is license renewal. Along with plant closures comes a reduction in knowledgeable and experienced professionals, especially those that possess the unique expertise related to engineering design projects. This paper records a literature review performed to evaluate the state of knowledge retention issues and strategies within the nuclear industry, identify those initiatives taking place to improve the engineering design process and assess how these contribute to the license renewal process.