The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective

Planning for the future of nuclear security is a vital and complex task, requiring cooperation and contribution from many disciplines and industries. This diversity of expertise should include the medical sector, which faces many of the same challenges as the nuclear industry: controlling access to...

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Main Author: Katharine E. Thomson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute for Nuclear Security 2017-11-01
Series:International Journal of Nuclear Security
Online Access:https://trace.tennessee.edu/ijns/vol3/iss1/9/
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author Katharine E. Thomson
author_facet Katharine E. Thomson
author_sort Katharine E. Thomson
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description Planning for the future of nuclear security is a vital and complex task, requiring cooperation and contribution from many disciplines and industries. This diversity of expertise should include the medical sector, which faces many of the same challenges as the nuclear industry: controlling access to dangerous material, creating a strong security culture, cooperating with the wider world and engaging the public. Medical physicists, of which the author is one, oversee all aspects of small-scale radiation use. This paper discusses three key areas increasingly important to both medical and nuclear uses of radioactive materials: public engagement, prevention of nuclear and radiological terrorism and cyber security. It compares and parallels practices in both industries and suggests strategies both can take for the future.
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spelling doaj.art-f6580becc7bc4c91862818ed6be459582022-12-22T03:37:32ZengInstitute for Nuclear SecurityInternational Journal of Nuclear Security2376-99552376-99552017-11-013110.7290/ijns030109The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s PerspectiveKatharine E. Thomson0Plymouth Hospitals NHS TrustPlanning for the future of nuclear security is a vital and complex task, requiring cooperation and contribution from many disciplines and industries. This diversity of expertise should include the medical sector, which faces many of the same challenges as the nuclear industry: controlling access to dangerous material, creating a strong security culture, cooperating with the wider world and engaging the public. Medical physicists, of which the author is one, oversee all aspects of small-scale radiation use. This paper discusses three key areas increasingly important to both medical and nuclear uses of radioactive materials: public engagement, prevention of nuclear and radiological terrorism and cyber security. It compares and parallels practices in both industries and suggests strategies both can take for the future.https://trace.tennessee.edu/ijns/vol3/iss1/9/
spellingShingle Katharine E. Thomson
The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective
International Journal of Nuclear Security
title The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective
title_full The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective
title_fullStr The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective
title_full_unstemmed The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective
title_short The Future of Nuclear Security: A Medical Physicist’s Perspective
title_sort future of nuclear security a medical physicist s perspective
url https://trace.tennessee.edu/ijns/vol3/iss1/9/
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