08 - Young Scientists Summer Program Lecture - 01 August 2007

David Kinley III

Nuclear Technology and Human Security:
Communicating Science

Listen [MP3 1:24:16] Slides [PDF]

Lecture Summary

In his three-part lecture, David Kinley first describes the main activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the nuclear field. The IAEA is the world’s center of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure, and peaceful nuclear technologies.

The IAEA’s mission is guided by the interests and needs of Member States, strategic plans, and the vision embodied in the IAEA Statute. Three main pillars, or areas of work, underpin the IAEA’s mission: Safety and Security; Science and Technology; and Safeguards and Verification. Mr. Kinley amplifies on the IAEA’s activities in each of these areas.

Next he focuses on the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident – the most severe in the history of the nuclear power industry – that caused a huge release of radionuclides over large areas of Belarus, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation. Twenty years later, eight UN Agencies and representatives of the three countries reviewed the health, environmental, and socio-economic consequences of the accident and published three major reports on the impacts.

Mr. Kinley presents some findings contained in these reports and describes how the key messages were crafted and communicated to an international audience through an IAEA-directed “media campaign.”

Finally, Mr. Kinley shares ten tips for successfully communicating science.

Speaker Biography

David H. Kinley III is an author, editor, and media relations expert with the Division of Public Information of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. Over the past 25 years he has worked with the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the IAEA, Columbia University, and several non-profit educational organizations. Kinley has authored 3 books and more than 100 articles about the social and economic impacts of multilateral aid initiatives in the developing world. Recent works include: “Science Serving People” (IAEA, 2002); “Chernobyl's Legacy: Health, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts” (IAEA, 2006); and “Nuclear Energy and the IAEA” (IAEA, 2006).

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Last updated: 03 Apr 2009