[MUSIC PLAYING]
JACOPO BUONGIORNO: My
name is Jacopo Buongiorno.
I'm a Professor of Nuclear
Science and Engineering at MIT.
I wear a couple of other
hats here at the Institute.
I'm the Associate Department
Head in Nuclear Science
and Engineering, as
well as the director
of the Center for Advanced
nuclear energy systems.
I've been at MIT since 2004.
I'm also a graduate of MIT.
And between graduation--
between my PhD
and coming back
on the faculty, I
had a brief stint at
the Idaho national lab.
As a professor, of course, I
devote a significant fraction
of my time to research.
I love teaching.
I teach a large
undergraduate class
in thermo fluids engineering and
several advanced classes in--
graduate advanced classes
in reactor engineering,
nuclear reactor engineering.
I recently took on
the director position
for the center of advanced
nuclear energy systems,
and that's the
umbrella under which
MIT conducts its nuclear
fission technology research.
And so we-- you
know, I'm essentially
the coordinator and promoter
of research and development
projects on nuclear
fission systems at MIT.
If you think about the
promise of nuclear energy
in combating, for
example, climate change
or assuring a reliable
energy supply for the world,
there are always four
challenges that come up.
There is the high cost of
building nuclear power plants.
There is the potential
for accidents,
which are, of course, a
great concern to the public.
There is the waste disposal
of highly radioactive waste
disposal.
And finally, the
possibility of proliferation
of nuclear weapons.
Now, waste has several
technical solutions.
It's mostly a
political/policy problem,
and more or less the same
goes for nonproliferation.
But when it comes to improving
the economics and safety
of nuclear reactors, that's
where engineering solutions
are more possible,
and therefore,
within reach of what
we typically do at MIT.
So both projects
that I'm then I'm
going to discuss
essentially address
how to enhance the economic
attractiveness and safety
performance of nuclear reactors.
