| Welcome to the first edition of the Gallant Night News. Last week, Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver responded favourably to my open invitation to tour the Chalk River laboratories to witness first-hand the work that is being done. You can see some pictures from his vist on my Facebook page by clicking here.
Together, we toured the Biological Research Facility, the leading laboratory in Canada in the study of low dose radiation effects. For example, when power utility workers receive low-dose exposures, AECL scientists assist in monitoring exposure levels to determine the appropriate safety response, if required. An international project was recently undertaken on behalf of the Government of Canada relating to potential dirty bomb blast scenarios and the medical treatment that would be required. This project was then reported at a NATO conference.
Next we visited the Thermalhydraulics Laboratory, which has a scaled down version of a CANDU® reactor moderator that is used for safety test simulations. It is the application of the basic research at Chalk River Laboratories, creating jobs in the economy, that is the purpose behind our Government’s current efforts to restructure the 60 year old Crown Corporation. For example, local Renfrew company ETM played a prominent role in the creation of a new research test facility that is unique to the world. Work carried out in Thermalhydraulics also demonstrates that there are AECL applications that can be used beyond the nuclear industry, such as the oil and gas sector, which can translate into jobs in the Ontario economy.
We toured the National Research Council’s (NRC) Canadian Neutron Beam Centre in the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor. NRC Officer Dr. Daniel Banks explained how the aerospace, auto, and oil industries rely upon this facility to analyze materials to detect failures in their internal structure that could lead to catastrophic consequences. For example, pieces of the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger that exploded in mid -flight were sent to this facility for analysis.
I believe this visit was successful in demonstrating to Minister Oliver that in addition to AECL’s long held contributions to medicine and energy generation, the people who work at the Chalk River Laboratories provide key scientific information to government decision makers for national security, and are a significant national asset. Most importantly, the visit illustrated that the Chalk River Laboratories is up to the task of utilizing innovation in the pursuit of scientific discoveries that lead to practical applications and commercialization, which means jobs for Canadians.
If you would like to learn more about Chalk River visit www.cherylgallant.com/chalkriver to find links to stories, videos, and tweets, in support of Chalk River Laboratories.
Have a good night,
Cheryl |
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