6:00pm–7:00pm No-host meet & greet (cash bar)
7:00pm–8:00pmDinner
8:00pm Announcements and technical presentation
Carolyn MacKenzie, CHP
Radiation Safety Officer
Associate Director, Environment, Health & Safety
University of California, Berkeley
Carolyn MacKenzie is a board certified health physicist with her Masters in Biophysics and is currently working as the Radiation Safety Officer for UC Berkeley. She has previously worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in radiation protection and international radioactive source security. She led efforts in 2004–7 in radioactive source search and secure throughout the world, as well as the development of a radiation warning symbol for the Internationl Atomic Energy Agency. In 2008–2012, she worked with the National Nuclear Security Administration on the Global Threat Reduction Initiative securing radioactive sources in African countries. She has also supported the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization by leading training of international inspectors in how to locate radioactive sources.
Topic: Working with Journalists for Better Reporting on Radiation Incidents.
In the event of a radiation incident such as the use of a dirty bomb or nuclear reactor incident, accurate and swift reporting is vital to public safety. Journalists play a key role in communicating information to the public in the aftermath of an emergency. The public is told to "stay tuned" for announcements and instructions that will be delivered via news media sources. In the case of a radiation incident, health physicists need to partner with journalists to get their message out in a timely and accurate manner.
A guide for journalists was developed with their input to both help protect journalists to be safe while covering a radiation incident, and to provide them with the basic safety information that can be conveyed to the public to limit the risk of radiation exposure. This presentation will review the contents of the "Safety Guidelines for Journalists: Radiation Incidents" and recommendations for how health physicists can assist journalists in getting their message out in an accurate manner.
The Meadows at Redwood Canyon Golf Course
17007 Redwood Rd
Castro Valley, CA 95546
Phone: (510) 537-8001