Dear Students,
Please join us for the inaugural Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal lecture given by Dr. Richard A. Meserve (A'66), President of the Carnegie Institution.
Dr. Meserve will speak on "The Fukushima Nuclear Accident and Its Implications."
Monday, April 4, 2011
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Nelson Auditorium
Anderson Hall
Reception to follow in Burden Lounge
Tufts University School of Engineering will name Richard A. Meserve, president of the Carnegie Institution and Tufts University alumnus, the first recipient of the Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal.
The Vannevar Bush Dean's Medal is awarded to an internationally recognized technology leader who has contributed substantially to the betterment of society through not only extraordinary technical achievement but also significant contributions at the intersection of engineering and other fields.
In collaboration with the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership, the Dean's Medal was recently renamed to honor another distinguished alumnus, Vannevar Bush. Dr. Bush earned his B.S. and M.S. from Tufts in 1913. Bush was elected President of the Carnegie Institution in 1938 and was instrumental in the establishment of the National Science Foundation.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Richard A. Meserve (A'66) is the ninth president of the Carnegie Institution. He arrived in April 2003, after stepping down as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. With his Harvard law degree and his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford, Meserve has served on numerous legal and scientific committees over the years, including many established by the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. In February 2010, Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy, appointed Meserve to President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. He currently serves as chairman of the International Nuclear Safety Group, which is chartered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and he is a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University. Among other affiliations, Dr. Meserve is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Philosophical Society, and he is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the
Please email any questions about this event to jeff.pietrantoni@tufts.edu.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Collections Continue
The Japanese Culture Club will be at the Campus Center tomorrow (Monday 3/28) to collect donations during Open Block. Please come by to show your support as we approach the 10k projection for post-Spring Break!
Friday, March 18, 2011
First mass gathering in Boston demonstrating sympathy and solidarity for the people of Japan
To Tufts students still hanging around the Boston area!
The Japan Society of Boston and Old South Church are together putting together:
A Vigil for Japan
Monday, March 21st
5:00 ~ 6:30 pm
at Old South Church
645 Boylston Street
http://www.oldsouth.org/visitors/directions-parking
Copley Square, Boston
Join others in the Boston community for this ecumenical gathering in solidarity and sympathy for everyone affected by the terrible disaster in Japan.
Seating is Limited, so RSVP via link below!
http://www.japansocietyboston.org/Events?eventId=295170&EventViewMode=EventDetails
The Japan Society of Boston and Old South Church are together putting together:
A Vigil for Japan
Monday, March 21st
5:00 ~ 6:30 pm
at Old South Church
645 Boylston Street
http://www.oldsouth.org/visitors/directions-parking
Copley Square, Boston
Join others in the Boston community for this ecumenical gathering in solidarity and sympathy for everyone affected by the terrible disaster in Japan.
Seating is Limited, so RSVP via link below!
http://www.japansocietyboston.org/Events?eventId=295170&EventViewMode=EventDetails
Thank you!
Hi everyone,
It's been exactly a week since the earthquake/tsunami struck Japan, and we've already raised $5000+. Thank you!
The amount of support we have gathered thus far has been astounding. We are touched by the Tufts community's contributions and proud to be Jumbos.
It is our duty to help Japan and its people so please keep up the support.
本当にありがとうございました！！！
It's been exactly a week since the earthquake/tsunami struck Japan, and we've already raised $5000+. Thank you!
The amount of support we have gathered thus far has been astounding. We are touched by the Tufts community's contributions and proud to be Jumbos.
It is our duty to help Japan and its people so please keep up the support.
本当にありがとうございました！！！
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Fundraiser tshirts by Fletcher students
At the Fletcher School, Japanese students will be distributing EXCHANGE TICKETS for "Stand With Japan" tshirts for $20+. The shirts will be shipped after Spring Break.
Proceeds will be sent to the American Red Cross.
When:
Thurs 3/17 10am-4pm
Fri 3/18 10am-1pm
Where:
Hall of Flags (Fletcher School 1F)
Please support Japan with these tshirts!
JCC* members will be purchasing them as well.
As always, thank you for your contributions!
**EDIT**
As of now, donations made to the Japanese Culture Club's fundraising campaign and donations made to the Fletcher students' tshirt sale are separate. Therefore, if you make a contribution through our PayPal link on this site, it does not guarantee you a tshirt.
We are waiting to hear from the Fletcher students regarding online purchases. We will definitely keep you posted, so please check often for updates!
New power line could save millions of lives
According to TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), a new power line will hopefully be ready by the afternoon of the 17th (Japanese Local Time) which will enable large pumps to be utilized to cool the reactor cores. This will also workers to work at nighttime, as well as reenabling the use of built in instruments such as water level meters and pressure sensors.
Read more here
Read more here
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
UK experts on Japanese Nuclear Plants
I have just returned from a conference call held at the British Embassy in Tokyo. The call was concerning the nuclear issue in Japan. The chief spokesman was Sir. John Beddington, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, and he was joined by a number of qualified nuclear experts based in the UK. Their assessment of the current situation in Japan is as follows:
* In case of a ‘reasonable worst case scenario’ (defined as total meltdown of one reactor with subsequent radioactive explosion) an exclusion zone of 30 miles (50km) would be the maximum required to avoid affecting peoples’ health. Even in a worse situation (loss of two or more reactors) it is unlikely that the damage would be significantly more than that caused by the loss of a single reactor.
* The current 20km exclusion zone is appropriate for the levels of radiation/risk currently experienced, and if the pouring of sea water can be maintained to cool the reactors, the likelihood of a major incident should be avoided. A further large quake with tsunami could lead to the suspension of the current cooling operations, leading to the above scenario.
* The bottom line is that these experts do not see there being a possibility of a health problem for residents in Tokyo. The radiation levels would need to be hundreds of times higher than current to cause the possibility for health issues, and that, in their opinion, is not going to happen (they were talking minimum levels affecting pregnant women and children – for normal adults the levels would need to be much higher still).
* The experts do not consider the wind direction to be material. They say Tokyo is too far away to be materially affected.
* If the pouring of water can be maintained the situation should be much improved after ten days, as the reactors’ cores cool down.
* Information being provided by Japanese authorities is being independently monitored by a number of organizations and is deemed to be accurate, as far as measures of radioactivity levels are concerned.
* This is a very different situation from Chernobyl, where the reactor went into meltdown and the encasement, which exploded, was left to burn for weeks without any control. Even with Chernobyl, an exclusion zone of 30 miles would have been adequate to protect human health. The problem was that most people became sick from eating contaminated food, crops, milk and water in the region for years afterward, as no attempt was made to measure radioactivity levels in the food supply at that time or warn people of the dangers. The secrecy over the Chernobyl explosion is in contrast to the very public coverage of the Fukushima crisis.
* The Head of the British School asked if the school should remain closed. The answer was there is no need to close the school due to fears of radiation. There may well be other reasons – structural damage or possible new quakes – but the radiation fear is not supported by scientific measures, even for children.
* Regarding Iodine supplementation, the experts said this was only necessary for those who had inhaled quantities of radiation (those in the exclusion zone or workers on the site) or through consumption of contaminated food/water supplies. Long term consumption of iodine is, in any case, not healthy.
* In case of a ‘reasonable worst case scenario’ (defined as total meltdown of one reactor with subsequent radioactive explosion) an exclusion zone of 30 miles (50km) would be the maximum required to avoid affecting peoples’ health. Even in a worse situation (loss of two or more reactors) it is unlikely that the damage would be significantly more than that caused by the loss of a single reactor.
* The current 20km exclusion zone is appropriate for the levels of radiation/risk currently experienced, and if the pouring of sea water can be maintained to cool the reactors, the likelihood of a major incident should be avoided. A further large quake with tsunami could lead to the suspension of the current cooling operations, leading to the above scenario.
* The bottom line is that these experts do not see there being a possibility of a health problem for residents in Tokyo. The radiation levels would need to be hundreds of times higher than current to cause the possibility for health issues, and that, in their opinion, is not going to happen (they were talking minimum levels affecting pregnant women and children – for normal adults the levels would need to be much higher still).
* The experts do not consider the wind direction to be material. They say Tokyo is too far away to be materially affected.
* If the pouring of water can be maintained the situation should be much improved after ten days, as the reactors’ cores cool down.
* Information being provided by Japanese authorities is being independently monitored by a number of organizations and is deemed to be accurate, as far as measures of radioactivity levels are concerned.
* This is a very different situation from Chernobyl, where the reactor went into meltdown and the encasement, which exploded, was left to burn for weeks without any control. Even with Chernobyl, an exclusion zone of 30 miles would have been adequate to protect human health. The problem was that most people became sick from eating contaminated food, crops, milk and water in the region for years afterward, as no attempt was made to measure radioactivity levels in the food supply at that time or warn people of the dangers. The secrecy over the Chernobyl explosion is in contrast to the very public coverage of the Fukushima crisis.
* The Head of the British School asked if the school should remain closed. The answer was there is no need to close the school due to fears of radiation. There may well be other reasons – structural damage or possible new quakes – but the radiation fear is not supported by scientific measures, even for children.
* Regarding Iodine supplementation, the experts said this was only necessary for those who had inhaled quantities of radiation (those in the exclusion zone or workers on the site) or through consumption of contaminated food/water supplies. Long term consumption of iodine is, in any case, not healthy.
Nuclear radiation levels too high
Firefighters are unable to get close to reactor number 4, which is on fire, because radiation levels are too high. The Japanese Self Defense Force and other military forces are attempting to hover over the reactor and dump water from above, but increased radiation levels are also inhibiting that.
Read more here
Read more here
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