Program - Brookhaven National Laboratory

diagnosis is a perfectly save form of radiation”. The control group indicated that it would be safer to
eat a banana rather than an apple because a banana is covered with a peel which could protect the food.
Furthermore not even the experts had consensus on the issue of X-rays in a medical context. Their views
differed because some considered the accumulated dose that a radiographer might be exposed to in their
work. We acknowledge the fact that socio-scientific issues are very complex. From this limited study we
disagree with the statement that “it is unlikely that traditional educational practice in which science is
presented mainly as a factual system will properly equip the up-coming generation to make decisions about
them” [1]. From the findings a critical level of knowledge would be an advantage to make informed choices.
However, no generalisations can be made due to the limited sample and further investigation is needed on
this topic. Furthermore, in the new South African curriculum nuclear energy aspects have been omitted
and a similar trend is found in other countries.. “in most countries children are not presented with an
accurate scientific explanation of radiation..”[3]. This raises a concern.
[1] Kilnic A Boyes E and Stanisstreet M 2012 Exploring students’ ideas about risk and benefits of nuclear
power using risk perception theories. J Sci Educ Technol DOI 10.1007/s10956-012-956-012-9390-z [2] Eijkelhof,
H. M. C. 1996. Radiation risk and science education. Radiation Projection Dosimettry 68(3/4)
273-278 [3] Neumann S and Hopf M 2012 Students conceptions About Radiation: Results form and explorative
interview study of 9th grade students. J Sci Educ Technol DOI 10.1007/s10956-012-956-012-9369-z
[4] Colclough ND Lock R and Soares A 2011. Pre-service teachers’ subject knowledge of and attitudes
about radioactivity and ionising radiation. Int J Sci Educ 33 (3).423-446
Session QA Plenary Friday
Friday March 8, 2013
Room: Met East at 8:30 AM
QA 1 8:30 AM
A Nuclear Data Project on Neutron Capture Cross Sections of Long-Lived Fission
Products and Minor Actinides
M. Igashira and T. Katabuchi
Tokyo Institute of Technology
H. Harada, S. Nakamura, T. Kimura, and N. Iwamoto
Japan Atomic Energy Agency
J. Hori
Kyoto University
Y. Kiyanagi
Hokkaido University
We are performing a nuclear data project entitled “Systematic Study on Neutron Capture Reaction Cross
Sections for the Technological Development of Nuclear Transmutation of Long-Lived Nuclear Wastes”. The
objective of the present project is to contribute to the improvement of nuclear data library, by making the
precise measurements of neutron capture cross sections of Long-Lived Nuclear Wastes (LLNWs) such as Zr-
93, Tc-99, Pd-107, I-129, Np-237, Am-241, Am-243, Cm-244, and Cm-246, analyzing the measured results
theoretically, and supplying reliable calculated capture cross sections for the LLNWs. The measurements
are being performed by using the Accurate Neutron-Nucleus Reaction Measurement Instrument (ANNRI)
in the Materials and Life Science Facility (MLF) in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-
PARC) as well as other facilities such as the Pelletron facility of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and
the electron liner accelerator facility of the Kyoto University. The measured capture cross sections and
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