''Titans of Nuclear'' is an interview podcast developed by the
Energy Impact Center
The Energy Impact Center is an American research institute based in Washington, D.C. It primarily advocates for the expansion of nuclear power as a clean energy solution to climate change. The organization's research into nuclear power has led it ...
. Each episode features interviews led by Bret Kugelmass. Other hosts include Jadwiga Najder, Olubunmi Olajide, and Naomi Senehi. Guests generally include
nuclear energy
Nuclear energy may refer to:
*Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity
* Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom
*Nuclear potential energy
...
experts who come from various political, scientific, and business backgrounds. The one-on-one discussions typically revolve around nuclear energy and related topics including
political policy,
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
, and
nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is "radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emitting ...
.
History
''Titans of Nuclear'' was conceived by Bret Kugelmass, founder of the Energy Impact Center in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in 2017. That year, he began recording interviews with a variety of nuclear energy experts.
The first episode of the podcast was made available online on January 8, 2018 and featured
Michael Shellenberger
Michael D. Shellenberger (born June 16, 1971) is an American author and former public relations professional whose writing has focused on the intersection of politics, the environment, climate change and nuclear power, as well as more recently on ...
as the guest.
Other early guests in 2018 included eventual
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy
Assistant may refer to:
* Assistant (by Speaktoit), a virtual assistant app for smartphones
* Assistant (software), a software tool to assist in computer configuration
* Google Assistant, a virtual assistant by Google
* ''The Assistant'' (TV seri ...
and head of the
Office of Nuclear Energy
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) is an agency of the United States Department of Energy which promotes nuclear power as a resource capable of meeting the energy, environmental, and national security needs of the United States by resolving technic ...
,
Rita Baranwal,
and individuals associated with both the
Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is one of the national laboratories of the United States Department of Energy and is managed by the Battelle Energy Alliance. While the laboratory does other research, historically it has been involved with nu ...
and the
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is one of the United States Department of Energy national laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington.
O ...
.
In 2019, the podcast featured interviews with national politicians, including
House Representative for
Seth Moulton
Seth Wilbur Moulton (born October 24, 1978) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district since 2015. A former Marine Corps officer, he is a member of the Democratic Party.
After ...
and
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Mike Crapo
Michael Dean Crapo ( ; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Crapo previously served as the U.S. repres ...
.
Other episodes that year featured discussions with members of the
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC; french: Commission Canadienne de sûreté nucléaire) is the federal regulator of nuclear power and materials in Canada.
Mandate and history
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was established under t ...
.
Kugelmass would later begin sharing hosting duties with Jadwiga Najder, Olubunmi Olajide,
and Naomi Senehi.
In December 2020, ''Titans of Nuclear'' conducted a miniseries of interviews with individuals from the
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...
's Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program.
As of September 2021, the podcast has released 331 episodes.
Format
Episodes generally consist of one-on-one interviews
conducted by Bret Kugelmass, Jadwiga Najder, Olubunmi Olajide,
or Naomi Senehi
with guests who are experts in nuclear energy. Guests have included professors, business executives, politicians, diplomats, scientists, and others.
Discussions revolve around nuclear power as an alternative and potentially
carbon-negative energy source. The podcast and its guests are broadly proponents of the proliferation of nuclear energy, but some guests have taken an opposing position. Other topics discussed include nuclear energy policy
and climate change.
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Official websiteEnergy Impact Center
Audio podcasts
Science podcasts
Technology podcasts
Interview podcasts
Video podcasts
2018 podcast debuts