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The UK is on the verge of building a fleet of new nuclear power stations. The steps required to reach the point where the UK can build Generation III+ plants are a complex mix of energy and financial policy and technology. The issues connect with the fuel cycle, waste disposal and public opinion. Failure in one of these areas could derail the new build programme. Starting in 2011, finishing July 2012, the University of Birmingham led a Policy Commission into the Future of Nuclear Energy in the UK. The Commission has been part of a number of national processes which have influenced and shaped UK policy and thinking in nuclear energy. In 2013 the UK Government published its stance. Recommendations made by the Policy Commission on key topics such as nuclear research capabilities and national nuclear policy bodies are reflected in the Government's report and subsequent actions. Impact has been in terms of public engagement and influencing public policy. Nuclear new build could be an investment of £40bn into the UK economy.
Thyrotoxicosis (over-activity of the thyroid) affects up to 5% of the UK population and causes excess mortality, especially from vascular diseases, even in its mildest form. Thyroid cancer is the commonest endocrine cancer, its treatment being associated with adverse consequences which need to be minimised. A large programme of thyroid research in Birmingham led by Prof Jayne Franklyn has made major contributions to improving the management of thyrotoxicosis, specifically through optimal use of radioiodine treatment. Her group has developed and delivered a national training scheme to allow endocrinologists (hormone specialists) to give this treatment safely and effectively. Radioiodine is also a crucial part of treatment of thyroid cancer; Franklyn helped deliver a major trial showing that lower doses are as effective as higher doses in most cases but with fewer days in hospital and side effects. This research has changed clinical practice regarding more effective and safe use of radioiodine in thyrotoxicosis and thyroid cancer. It has been incorporated in national and international clinical guidance, patient information sources, and has directly affected clinician training and patient care pathways.
The power of physics, from the largest to smallest scale, to capture the imagination is unrivalled. This has been used as a vehicle for engagement and education in a wide-ranging series of public-engagement activities over the period 2008-2013. These activities (over 130 outreach events per year) are closely linked to the full spectrum of the School's research. Here the focus is Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics and is built around live events, hands-on demonstrations, educational software development, and media work. The activities have engaged young people through schools and family groups, with a broader cross section of the general public also reached. Birmingham's leadership is evidenced through its major role at each of the Royal Society Summer Exhibitions since 2011, the delivery of extensive national and regional activities supported by the IoP and the STFC, its extensive schools' programme and wide media exposure. The activities have communicated the significance of recent discoveries in physics and astronomy, showing how research, including by Birmingham scientists, has led to these.
Our development and demonstration of the world's first ns-FFAG accelerator (EMMA) and our expertise in exploiting and extending the capabilities of GEANT4 simulations have enabled us, in a relatively short time, to demonstrate societally significant applications of advanced particle accelerator technology. This research, which has garnered significant commercial and media attention, has demonstrated the feasibility of compact, reliable and affordable proton machines for cancer therapy [C], radioisotope production [A,B] and muon [F] and neutron [E] production, thereby offering UK industry a technological lead in a potentially enormous international market. Additionally, our research in accelerator driven technologies had played a significant role in establishing the scientific and political case for the construction of the 1.5b€ European Spallation Source in Lund, Sweden, and is influencing developments at Fermilab in the US [E,F].
The University of Huddersfield leads the UK in the development and advocacy of the thorium nuclear fuel cycle as an alternative to the uranium/plutonium cycle. We have set the design parameters for feasible thorium fuelled accelerator driven subcritical reactor assemblies for power generation and waste management and for fertile to fissile conversion of thorium [A]. Our high media profile [G,H] and extensive interactions with the public [I] and policy makers both in the UK and US [B,C,E,F] has led to growing acceptance of thorium as a realistic, safer, cleaner and proliferation resistant alternative fuel for nuclear fission reactors. Consequently our research is now influencing nuclear policy both at home and overseas [D,F].