University of Michigan researchers call for policies to ensure that small modular reactors serve the public interest without creating and worsening familiar problems. Nuclear energy has long been considered essential for meeting growing global energy...
The Graham Sustainability Institute’s Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program (CNAP) announced $1,160,000 in funding for six new faculty research projects. CNAP is a multi-year, multimillion-dollar program created in 2020 with a $5 million gift from a...
On Thursday, October 21st, STPP faculty affiliate Dr. Todd Allen, Director, Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project and Glenn F. and Gladys H. Knoll Department Chair of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences testified before the House Committee on S...
Small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced nuclear technologies are gaining attention as key solutions to climate change, energy insecurity, and the growing energy needs of data centers. However, the potential expansion of the global nuclear industry introduces—and in some cases reinforces—problems that technological solutions alone will not be able to fix. To help ensure that advanced nuclear energy serves the public interest rather than predominantly corporate and geopolitical actors, we must have robust governance frameworks in place before the widespread implementation of SMRs. This presentation will highlight the findings of the recent Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program's Technology Assessment Project (TAP) report, "The Reactor Around the Corner: Understanding Advanced Nuclear Energy Futures." We will discuss our research approach, in which we use the analogical case study (ACS) method to examine historical and contemporary technology parallels. By analyzing past technologies similar in form, function, or impact, we can identify repeating social patterns and anticipate the social, environmental, ethical, equity, economic, and geopolitical implications of emerging technologies. Our analysis reveals that without robust governance frameworks, the widespread adoption of SMRs risks entrenching global disparities, privileging private interests over public good, overlooking local and Indigenous knowledge, intensifying environmental injustices, and failing to deliver on promises of local empowerment. We present policy recommendations for responsible governance of SMRs and the uranium supply chain to maximize benefits and minimize harms. This interdisciplinary collaboration between the Ford School's Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program and the College of Engineering's Fastest Path to Zero Initiative (FPTZ) in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences demonstrates how policy and engineering expertise can be effectively integrated to address complex sociotechnical challenges.
STPP hosts a conversation with Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16 and STPP '16). Michelle is Director of Stakeholder Relations at the Energy Impact Center, a DC-based think tank working to spur a nuclear energy revolution to combat climate change.
This Technology Assessment Project report anticipates the social, environmental, ethical, equity, economic, and geopolitical implications of widespread adoption of advanced nuclear energy technologies, especially small modular reactors (SMRs), using ...
