William D. Magwood, IV, Director-General of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), visited Waseda University on December 1.
He lectured on the role of OECD/NEA, which consists of 31 countries with nuclear energy businesses and research programs, and the initiatives taken by NEA countries seeking for stricter safety measures, a lesson learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Powerplant disaster in 2011. Furthermore, Magwood spoke about nuclear safety culture, the roles of stakeholders, international efforts made in nuclear science and technology, and the framework of NEA’s newly implemented program, Nuclear Education, Skills and Technology (NEST). In addition to the lecture, students studying nuclear energy at the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering had the opportunity to present their research to Magwood in person.
Prior to his current position starting in September 2014, Magwood served as Director of Nuclear Energy at the US Department of Energy (DOE), NEA’s Steering Committee bureau member, and Commissioner to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). He was visiting Japan from November 28 through December 2 to meet with Japanese government officials.
