This year is the 5th anniversary of Fukushima, the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban and the 30th anniversary of Chernobyl. It's a year of nuclear memorial, and I want to talk to you about the past, present and future of ionising radiation and society. I currently research the experiences and the interactions of people who are linked in some way to radioactivity, from anti-nuclear activists to nuclear accident survivors and atomic test veterans.

My talk will explore our perceptions of radiation risk and will consider the social impacts that it can have upon humans. I will delve into the fraught experiences of the Hibakusha, the stoicism of the Babushkas of Chernobyl, the self-proclaimed "mutants" of Semipalatinsk, and the day-to-day lives of the men who tested the atomic bombs. I will investigate the fallout from anti-nuclear activism, and contemplate the societal impacts of North Korea's future nuclear strategy. It's going to be a blast.

Becky Alexis-Martin is a research fellow at the University of Southampton. She has written for Resilience, Guru and the Guardian and has spoken at the Royal Geographical Society. She contains approximately 6000 Bq of radioactivity on an average day.

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/geography/about/staff/rm16g12.page

www.radpop.co.uk<http://www.radpop.co.uk>

@CalamityCake


Becky Alexis-Martin
Research Fellow: Nuclear Geographies

Nuclear Families: Exploring the lived experiences of nuclear veteran families

RADPOP: Exploring the demographics of radiation protection

Campus is Critical: Observing academic anti-nuclear activism