Research

EarthTalks series discusses future of nuclear fission for electricity generation

Amanda Johnsen, Bryant Early Career Assistant Professor in the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State, will discuss the future of nuclear fission for the electric grid on March 8, 2021. Credit: Bernd Haupt / PixabayAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The shift to a carbon-free energy system focuses on renewables like wind and solar. What role does nuclear energy have in the future of electricity generation? Amanda Johnsen, Bryant Early Career Assistant Professor in the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State, will discuss the future of nuclear fission for the electric grid at 4 p.m. Monday, March 8. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be broadcast via Zoom webinar.

Johnsen specializes in radiochemistry and advanced radiological engineering. Before joining the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering, she was a research associate and assistant research professor at Penn State’s Radiation Science and Engineering Center. She received her bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her doctoral degree in nuclear engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Johnsen’s talk is part of the spring 2021 EarthTalks series, “Energy and climate policy: How to avoid a global hothouse.” The series focuses on policies and technology that could help slow down global warming and addresses topics such as carbon taxes, renewable energy subsidies and the feasibility of carbon sequestration. For more information about the spring 2021 series, visit the EarthTalks website.

Last Updated March 9, 2021