Nuclear Symposium 2024: Uplifting Humanity
at UNGA Science Summit during Climate Week NYC

Wednesday, 25 September 2024 from 9am to 4pm ET
Cornell Tech Campus, NYC

Nuclear New York collaborated with the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Generation Atomic to advance conversations around nuclear energy and sustainable development at our Nuclear Symposium 2024: Uplifting Humanity. Recordings of this event, simulcast globally as part of the UNGA Science Summit, will be posted here soon. Held during the United Nations General Assembly, Climate Week NYC features major announcements, discussions, and interviews with international leadership from business, government, and the climate community. The nuclear symposium brought together economic development organizations, energy and technology investors, delegations of emerging economies, and international climate/environment groups to discuss opportunities and challenges of scaling up this clean energy technology.

Schedule

TimeSessionPlaylist
9:00amDoors Open, Coffee, Doughnuts, & Networking
9:30am-9:40amWelcome: Ben Furnas & Eric Dawson17 min
9:40am-9:55amOpening Remarks: Grace Stanke(above)
10:00am-10:40amPanel: The Nuclear Fuel Cycle42 min
10:45am-10:55amCoffee, Doughnuts, & Networking
11:00am-11:25amKeynote Address: Nana Menya Ayensu20 min
11:30am-12:10pmPanel: The Socio-Environmental Case for Nuclear36 min
12:15pm-12:55pmPanel: Energy Abundance43 min
1:00pm-1:40pmLunch & Networking
1:45pm-2:15pmGuest Speaker: Julie Kozeracki24 min
2:15pm-2:55pmPanel: System-Level Challenges of Decarbonization38 min
3:00pm-3:40pmPanel: Delivery Model and Economics50 min
3:40pm-4:05pmMusic and Rap Up: Baba Brinkman, Dex McBean & Nathanology33 min
4:05pm-4:10pmClosing Remarks: Matt Meyer
4:10pmEnd of Program

Panels

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

What are the components of the nuclear fuel cycle: from mining, enrichment, to fuel manufacture? What happens at the back end after energy generation? How is spent fuel stored safely? What are the pathways to reuse or recycle spent nuclear fuel? How is the supply chain readying itself to cater to the growing demand?

Featuring: Christina Leggett (moderator), Jacques Mosseri, Carl Perez, Pat O’Brien, & Amir Adnani

The Socio-Environmental Case for Nuclear

What are the implications of deploying the energy source with the least overall ecological impact? How do communities around nuclear plants view them? What are the possibilities for land conservation along with industrial development?

Featuring: Ryan Pickering (moderator), Scott Lathrop, Tea Törmänen, Jason Albritton, & Danielle Butcher Franz

Energy Abundance

How does abundant energy help developing economies? What are they doing to advance firm clean generation from nuclear power? What are the barriers and opportunities in financing, workforce development, and technology transfer?

Featuring: Angelica Oung (moderator), Robert Bright Mawuko Sogbadji, Dr. Charlyne Smith, & Charles Oppenheimer

System Level Challenges of Decarbonization

What are physical, monetary, environmental, and social challenges to decarbonizing economies? What are the enabling conditions to advance clean energy systems? What lessons can the world learn from New York’s climate policies and Georgia’s experience?

Featuring: Alex Kaufman (moderator), Len Rodberg, Lindsay Anderson, & Tricia Pridemore

Delivery Model and Economics

What are the barriers to nuclear energy deployment: financial, permitting, and supply chain? What are the pathways to overcome these barriers, and where is progress taking place?

Featuring: Dinara Ermakova (moderator), Nick Touran, Isuru Seneviratne, Edward Rios, & Erich Scherer

Speakers

Amir Adnani (Uranium Energy Corp)

CEO and co-founder of Uranium Energy Corp.

Under his leadership, UEC has developed into the largest diversified North American focused uranium company with low-cost, environmentally friendly in-situ recovery (“ISR”) uranium projects in the United States and high-grade conventional projects in Canada. Mr. Adnani is the founder and Co-Chairman of GoldMining Inc and Chairman of Uranium Royalty Corp. He is a distinguished entrepreneur recognized as “40 Under 40, Ones to Watch” by Fortune magazine and as “Mining’s Future Leaders” by Mining Journal.

Jason Albritton (The Nature Conservancy)

Jason Albritton is the director of The Nature Conservancy’s North America Climate Mitigation Program. In this role, he leads TNC’s work to advance ambitious state and federal climate and energy policies, accelerate the smart deployment of renewable energy, and maximize the role of nature as a climate solution. Previously, Mr. Albritton served as a senior policy advisor for the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, where he was responsible for a wide portfolio of environmental and public works issues, including climate change, air pollution, water quality, toxic substances and water and transportation infrastructure. He played a central role in the development of multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation signed into law.

Dr. Lindsay Anderson (Cornell University)

Dr. Lindsay Anderson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering Department at Cornell University. Her research focuses on energy system decarbonization, at the interface of environmental and systems engineering, electric power systems, applied optimization and decision science.

Nana Menya Ayensu (White House Climate Policy Office)

Nana Ayensu is Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy, Finance, and Innovation and part of the White House Climate Policy Office (CPO), where he focuses on power sector decarbonization and climate technology investment. When he moved from Washington, D.C., to Ghana during middle school, he witnessed first-hand how disruptive a lack of energy can be on a population. Nana has over ten years of experience fusing technology, business strategy, and finance in order to create innovate solutions and differentiated commercial value propositions.

Dinara Ermakova (Generation Atomic)

Dr. Dinara Ermakova is a public speaker and expert in nuclear technology and policy, especially on issues related to fuel management. She advises Anthropocene Institute and advocates with Generation Atomic. Prior to earning her Ph.D in Nuclear Engineering, she has worked in the Nuclear Energy sector to facilitate collaboration between Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian manufacturers of equipment for nuclear power plants.

Danielle Butcher Franz (American Conservation Coalition)

Danielle Butcher Franz is the CEO of the ACC, where she plays an instrumental role in the organization’s vision and strategy, and and has dedicated her career to building bridges between traditional conservative values and environmental advocacy.  Danielle’s passion and expertise have earned her fellowships with the Independent Women’s Forum and the Foundation for Economic Education. Danielle’s leadership has been recognized by some of the most prestigious organizations in the country. She has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30, a MavPac Future 40, and a Clean Energy News Network 40 Under 40 lister.

Alexander Kaufman (HuffPost)

Alexander C. Kaufman is a writer and senior reporter at HuffPost, where he covers energy, climate change, and environmental policy. A two-time winner of the SEAL Environmental Journalism Award and a 2024 recipient of the Covering Climate Now Journalism Award, he challenges prevailing narratives and spotlights the cost of disconnected climate policy upon working-class people. He is a regular guest on the BBC World Service’s “Business Matters” and has provided expert commentary on MSNBC, NPR and broadcasters around the world.

Julie Kozeracki (Department of Energy Loans Programs Office)

Julie Kozeracki is the Director of Strategy for the US Department of Energy Loan Programs Office, which has over $300B in loan authority for clean energy deployment. She leads the cross-DOE effort on Advanced Nuclear Pathways to Commercial Liftoff, a collaboration between LPO, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Office of Technology Transitions, and the Office of Nuclear Energy. Her office is responsible for the loan guarantees to Vogtle, the first new start-to-finish US nuclear power plant in 35 years, and a conditional commitment to Palisades, which would be the first restart of a closed nuclear power plant in the US.

Scott R. Lathrop (yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini)

Scott is the CEO and founding member of the Northern Chumash Nonprofit, which is aimed at restoring rights for the ytt Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region to their ancestral homeland, commonly known as Diablo Lands. His broad areas of expertise include board governance, project management, business administration, project financing, building construction and accounting. Scott is also a valued member of PG&E Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel.

Dr. Christina Leggett (Booz Allen Hamilton)

Dr. Christina Leggett is a nuclear technology consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. She provides technical expertise and manages a multi-million-dollar portfolio developing innovative technologies to reduce nuclear waste and secure spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. She has also worked in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy.

Jacques Mosseri (CURIO)

Jacques Mosseri is a Mechanical Engineer at Curio. He received his bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union in New York City. Previously, Jacques has worked on technical projects in Bio-Medical Devices and Controlled Environment Agriculture and has a background in 3D Modeling and CFD.

Patrick O’Brien (Holtec)

Pat O’Brien is the Director of Government Affairs and Communications at Holtec International, a global leader in nuclear technology and decommissioning services. At Holtec, he leads the development of strategic communication plans as a key conduit to elected officials and community stakeholders. He has also spent thirteen years working in state and local government in Massachusetts.

Charles Oppenheimer (Oppenheimer Project)

Charles Oppenheimer is the founder of Oppenheimer Project and Oppenheimer Energy Ventures, entities dedicated to fission technology and its importance in the dual threats of nuclear proliferation and climate change. He has appeared in interviews with CNN, TIME and recent documentaries on the subject of his grandfather, the late Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer, his legacy and commitment to international cooperation. Prior to founding the Oppenheimer entities, Charles spent 20+ years in Silicon Valley as a technical architect and angel investor.

Angelica Oung (Anthropocene Institute)

Angelica Oung, described on her substack as “The original Manic Nuclear Scheme Girl”, is an independent Taiwanese journalist focusing on Taiwan’s electricity system. Formerly of the Taipei Times and ReNews, she has worked to become the trusted voice in Taiwan’s dynamic but difficult offshore wind industry. She has also founded Taiwan Offshore Wind Unredacted, which aims to create long term win-win outcomes by increasing transparency between stakeholders in the wind industry.

Carl Perez (Exodys Energy)

A native New Yorker, Carl began his nuclear adventure in his last year of undergraduate studies at Babson College. As CEO of Elysium Industries, a molten salt reactor company, he led its partnerships, technology development, and government relations for a decade. In 2022, he co-founded Exodys Energy, a nuclear fuel recycling vendor, alongside U.S. Navy nuclear system designers and recycling operators from La Hague in France. He advises several nuclear initiatives within industry and government, such as Nuclear Energy Institute’s Recycling Task Force and coauthored the latest “Molten Salt Reactor & Thorium Fuel Cycle” textbook.

Ryan Pickering (Department of Energy Consent-Based Siting Consortia)

Ryan Pickering is an energy policy researcher, solar industry veteran and sustainability enthusiast focused on balancing nuclear and renewables with conventional energies to achieve the conditions for global peace and prosperity. He has spent seven years as a senior manager at SunPower and is a crew facilitator of the DOE’s consent-based siting consortia.

Tricia Pridemore (Georgia Public Service Commission, unable to join due to Hurricane Helene)

Tricia Pridemore has served as a unanimously-elected chairman of the Georgia Public Service Commission, after joining in 2018. In addition to her duties with the Commission, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Financial Research Institute at the University of Missouri, the Gas Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the NARUC Subcommittee on Education and Research. Commissioner Pridemore is a businesswoman with a background in technology, consulting and workforce development.

Edward Rios (Export-Import Bank)

Edward Rios currently works at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) serving as a Senior Loan Officer in the Structured and Project Finance Division. His focus is underwriting renewable and nuclear energy transactions in both the international and domestic markets. In addition to his underwriting duties, he advises EXIM on ways to promote the export of goods and services used in the development, production, and distribution of nuclear and renewable energy resources and acts as a liaison between EXIM and other appropriate U.S. Federal agencies.

Dr. Leonard Rodberg (Nuclear New York)

Leonard Rodberg, PhD, has served as the Research Director at Nuclear New York for the past four years. A theoretical physicist by training, Len is a Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies at Queens College, City University of New York, where he taught for 35 years, including 22 years as Departmental Chair. Early in his career he was chief of the Science Policy Office in the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency within the US State Department.

Erich Scherer (NYSERDA)

Erich Scherer is the Director of Strategy at NYSERDA and a clean energy policy expert. He has 25 years of combined experience in law, finance, policy and analysis, including more than 15 years of renewable energy and energy efficiency experience on both sides of the Atlantic, both in the public sector (policymaking) and private sector (finance).

Isuru Seneviratne (LucidCatalyst)

Isuru Seneviratne is an energy and sustainability professional with two decades’ experience in holistic investment diligence, sustainable business development, and climate policy advocacy. As of 2024, he works with the multidisciplinary team of change makers at LucidCatalyst to develop cost-effective solutions for energy and climate. Prior to this, he founded Radiant Value Management in 2015 to pursue undervalued opportunities spanning energy resources and technology. Isuru co-founded Nuclear New York in 2019 and is part of the group’s leadership.

Dr. Charlyne Smith (EPRI)

Dr. Charlyne Smith is a Nuclear Engineer and Scientist at the Electric Power Research Institute, where she co-leads the Nuclear Innovation Program. She is also a research scientist at the University of Florida, working on nuclear materials projects. Dr. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Chemistry from Coppin State University, as well as a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering, both from the University of Florida. With a background as a Distinguished Research Fellow at Idaho National Laboratory and Research Scientist at the University of Florida, Dr. Smith specializes in advanced characterization and post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuels and materials, publishing extensively in leading nuclear materials and engineering journals. She spearheads initiatives like the Nuclear Energy – SMR Symposium and Nuclear Engineering Bootcamp to enhance education and research in developing countries like her native country Jamaica.

Dr. Robert Sogbadji (Ministry of Energy of Ghana)

Dr. Robert B. M. Sogbadji has worked at the Ghana Ministry of Energy since 2013, and serves as the coordinator for the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme. He lectures at the graduate school of Nuclear and Allied Science in the University of Ghana, with a key specialty in the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle and research interests in fast reactors and nuclear fuel management.

Grace Stanke (Constellation Energy)

Grace Stanke was crowned Miss America 2023 while she was a nuclear engineering student at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a national advocate for nuclear power and is employed at Constellation Energy, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy, designing reactor fuel placement and reactor cores.

Tea Törmänen (WePlanet)

Tea Törmänen has a Master’s degree in animal behaviour from the University of Exeter. She’s currently working for WePlanet, a new global environmental movement which is pro human development, pro science and pro technology. She’s been in the movement since the very beginning, chairing the local organization in Finland for four years before embarking on her international journey. Ms. Törmänen has been a vocal supporter of nuclear energy for over 20 years, challenging the common misconception that green climate/environmental activists can’t be pro nuclear

Nick Touran (WhatIsNuclear.com)

Nick Touran is a reactor physicist working on the design of an advanced nuclear reactor for TerraPower, where he has been since 2009. Over the last fifteen years, he has worked on neutronics analysis and automation, core design, business development, and, more recently, configuration management and engineering process automation. He has also been active in public education around nuclear since 2006 as the founder and sysadmin of whatisnuclear.com.

Art Exhibit

A gallery of nuclear Energy-themed atomic art will be on display from Eco-Nuclear Solutions.

This special exhibit combines art, science and environmentalism to illustrate the benefits of nuclear energy in reaching our clean energy goals. Artists from around the world met the challenge of demonstrating how nuclear power is in harmony with nature as it provides safe, reliable, zero-carbon power using less land and resources. This magnificent artwork envisions a clean and prosperous future with nuclear power and counters the misconceptions about its safety.

Sponsors

Gigawatt

Megawatt

Kilowatt

Partners

Cornell Atkinson

Photo Gallery

Venue

Verizon Executive Education Center of the Cornell Tech Campus
2 W Loop Rd, New York, NY 10044