Blog Post

Throughout the years, I have attended many nuclear industry events, symposiums, conferences, and meetings in the US and around the world. I always enjoy sharing my experiences, ideas, and passion with an audience who could help achieve our nuclear industry goals. On the other hand, talking to some who do not share the same views on our industry and getting them to understand and learn more about nuclear to see the benefits to our environment and climate change is also rewarding.

For the first time in two years, I feel as though I can plan to attend conferences in-person with the expectation that they will be held. While virtual events were the better choice between no events at all, face-to-face networking was sorely missed and what I look forward to most this year.  

I believe nuclear industry events will be in the spotlight this year more than ever before. The decarbonization strategies of some countries contributes to the production of carbon-free electricity, including small module reactors, as well as the topic of energy supply security making way for a nuclear energy future. 

Women in Nuclear 

May 23- 26, Tokyo, Japan 

Since the beginning of my nuclear career in 2005, I have made it a priority to be a contributing member of WiN organization. I felt it was my duty to improve public perception of nuclear power and to also educate women on the opportunities available to them in the nuclear industry. I was honored to be the public relations, recruitment, and advertising lead for WiN from 2005 to 2009. I established two WiN Chapters, one at Invensys and the other at ENEC/UAE. 

Considering my over 15-year involvement with WiN, I can’t help but mention this global conference put on by Women In Nuclear. The theme of this year’s conference is “Evolution of Decommissioning ＆ Reconstruction – 11 Years after Fukushima Accident”.  A quote from Chairperson Yoko Kobayashi sums up this event well, 

 “The women in nuclear will put every effort to make the internationalization of the safety standards and regulation a stable foundation for further industry development, we will provide our strong support and contribution to make this happen in the name of our children’s future” and support in the form of donations, etc. It is our hope that this conference will serve as an opportunity to share with our colleagues from around the world the lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident, as well as stories of the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, reconstruction of disaster-struck regions and to share with them the path Japan’s nuclear energy will take moving forward. 

Further, in cooperation with WiN-Global members participating from around the world, we hope to exchange information on a range of topics, including climate change, gender balance, diversity, and innovative technologies and enhance our status as a group of experts. We also hope that this conference will serve as a useful opportunity to promote the sustainable development of the nuclear industry.” 

A tour of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum are available during the conference.  

Procedure Professionals Association 2022 Annual Symposium 

June 20-24, 2022: Reunion Resort & Golf Club, Kissimmee FL 

I was responsible for the readiness of all documentation and libraries for the commissioning and operation of all 4 Barakah NPP units. During this time, I was elected to be a steering committee member of PPA. I continue to be part of this organization with my current work as a Compliance Director at Accelerant Solutions. 

It goes without saying that I am looking forward to our Annual Symposium. This will be the 34th Symposium held by PPA. The Procedure Professionals Association, Inc. (PPA) is the collective voice and leader in procedure and work instruction writing, processing, and associated training for member facilities that span industries such as commercial nuclear power generation, Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DOD), Oil and Gas. 

The annual conference provides opportunities for sharing information, operating experience, and lessons learned. This conference has been the premier learning opportunity for procedure writers, reviewers, approvers, and program managers. This year’s conference will hold two days of Procedure Writer Training. 

SMR & Advanced Reactor 2022 

May 24-25, 2022: Sheraton Hotel Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 

As the world begins to realize the contribution SMRs could make towards achieving global climate goals and secure energy supply, the discussion around SMRs is hotter than ever. It’s the perfect time to attend the SMR & Advanced Reactor Conference in Georgia this May.  

SMRs and advanced reactors are transforming nuclear energy. Breaking through barriers to redefine the future of our industry, I expect this conference will cover regulatory, investment, and technological challenges on the journey to commercialization of SMRs and gen IV reactors. Hundreds of senior executives from utilities, reactor developers, investors, regulators, the supply chain and more will be in attendance to advance strategy and build a network around SMRs. I am sad that I will miss the WIN conference in Japan, but thankful to attend the Reuters SMR conference in the USA.  

I’m looking forward to the conference-filled year ahead. What nuclear events are you looking forward to? Reach out to me and share where you’ll be.  

Sezin Uzman, Director of Compliance