…and by TV I mean Youtube TV. It’s not exactly cable, but I’ll be pitching an idea for a nuclear-related venture to cap off the last two weeks I’ve spent at UC Berkeley for the Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp. This annual workshop seeks to train students and professionals in skills essential to innovation in nuclear energy while executing team projects. The program consists of expert-led sessions, team-building exercises, and team project design time.
The experts come from a range of backgrounds but discussions are focused on a topic that I often reference in my newsletter: the advanced nuclear industry. There are currently over 70 projects and startups in the U.S. alone that are dedicated to building the next generation of nuclear technologies. The Bootcamp aims to train the next crop of engineers on how to support this sector.
While many organizations today are working hard to make sure nuclear is recognized for its zero-carbon energy generation, these next-gen projects have been quietly humming along in the background. Their work is focused on developing the technology and applications for a diverse suite of reactor designs and fuel concepts.
To give an example, a representative from TerraPower (the company best known for being founded by Bill Gates) presented to us last Friday on their reactor design and plans for radioisotope production. Radioisotopes are special radioactive atoms that can be created in a nuclear reactor and safely administered intravenously for highly effective imaging and targeted cancer treatments. TerraPower, in addition to several other startups, is developing new reactors to boost production of these isotopes and address the current global supply shortage.
Some of the other topics we’ve covered include venture funding for “deep tech” (i.e. companies that build highly-engineered things like rockets), changing public perception of nuclear, developing interdisciplinary teams within engineer-heavy startups, and brainstorming scenarios for our future energy landscape.
The project pitches will take place from 3–5pm west coast time (6–8pm east) this Friday on the Youtubes. Groups are working on a range of topics that touch upon artificial intelligence, truck-mounted portable “microreactors”, advanced materials testing, and something I overheard that seems like a nuclear-themed beer campaign.
You can try and guess which one I’m working on but there’s only one way to find out!
River
P.S. I’ve been getting some helpful feedback since starting this newsletter and love getting questions and comments. What could I write more about? Talk less about? Could there be more pictures of dogs in lab coats? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
