Inquisitive thinkers vital, scientist says
by Brian Shults, se news editor

    Tomorrow’s scientists must utilize different standards to succeed in the field of nuclear science, a director with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) stated at a speaking engagement last week.

   “Do I need the world’s best scientist or doctor to be part of my staff so I can do my job properly? The answer is no. I am looking for people that can apply scientific data. I’m looking for people who look at a problem, find a solution and ask, ‘Does my answer make sense?’” Ken Brockman, a NRC director, said.

   Brockman spoke to students on SE Campus, relating his experience as a division director of reactor projects for NRC’s Region IV.

   His division oversees inspection programs and operational evaluations of the region’s 21 commercial nuclear power reactors, verifying that each reactor meets federal safety standards.

   In addition to explaining why potential scientists should maintain a keen inquisitiveness, Brockman related his role as NRC director to the safety issues surrounding a possible terrorist attack on America using nuclear materials.

   “A dirty bomb would have an immense economic impact. It would cost billions of dollars in taxpayer money and severely play on the psyche of the American people,” he said.

   A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb attached to dangerously radioactive material that upon explosion will spread the radioactive material, thereby killing the people in the vicinity, as well as contaminating the affected area for upwards of a century, Brockman said.

   While the immediate effect of a dirty bomb will kill only those within a few mile radius, over time the radiation will cause damage to life in a much larger area, Brockman said.

   “The difference between a dirty bomb and a nuclear weapon is a dirty bomb does not cause a nuclear reaction, so it will not level an entire city. But it would be the greatest localized fallout of radioactive dust in U.S. history.

   “If a dirty bomb were to happen, I have two choices. I can either fence the city off, and say come back in a 100 years, or I can decontaminate it. Basically, I would wash everything. By washing the buildings and concrete and ground, I am trying to reconstitute all those little atoms back into a 10-gallon drum, so I can safely dispose of them,” he said.

   Brockman also has oversight in regards to missing and stolen nuclear sources.

   “I get two to three reports a day about something nuclear being stolen, a little source here and a little source there. Most of them turn up, but since 9/11 we have been doing everything we can to minimize the risk. We work very closely with law enforcement and the FBI,” he said.

   The risk of nuclear materials entering the United States from another country, particularly from Mexico, is great. While Brockman does not have any federal authority in border safety, he did express deep concerns regarding the lack of equipment capable of detecting radioactive material as vehicles come across the border.

   The concern grew recently when, as director, Brockman received word that several hundred sets of patio furniture, whose steel was imported from Brazil, were radioactive and were not detected by the border patrol.

   Brockman said the steel was contaminated because of its proximity to a Brazilian radiography procedure and then reprocessed before being made into patio furniture that was sold in the United States.

   “There is no risk to consumers unless they decide to sit on the furniture for 20 years without getting up, but it is a concern and must be monitored. And it illustrates the need for the United States to scan for radioactive materials more efficiently,” he said.

   Brockman worked for Region IV management in 1994 as deputy director. Previously, he worked in the private sector and the armed forces.

   Brockman graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor of science in general engineering.

   Brockman later received a master’s degree in public administration from American University.