Will they ever learn? The Public Education Game

1. HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY Specialists in Radiation Safety Will they ever learn?The Public Education Game Howard Dickson, President-elect Health Physics Society hwdickson@tampabay.rr.com

2. What’s at stake • Continuation of critical radiological applications • Support for a nuclear renaissance • Deterrence of rad/nuclear terrorism

3. Imprint of the Nuclear Age

4. Making a Difference thru Public Education • Smoking Population • 1965 – 43% • Today – 21% • Drinking • 1982 – Drunk drivers killed 22,000 • Today – Down to 12,000 • Seat Belts • 1983 – 24% use • Today – 82% use

5. What’s in store for me?

6. The Plan • HPS organization – highlighting educational components • Proposed educational initiatives • Improving communication • The Radiation Primer: A Citizen’s Guide to Radiation is a big deal • Your role

7. HPS Organization • Review of recent restructuring • HPS Committees with significant educational involvement • Academic Education • Continuing Education • Homeland Security • Public Information • Science Support • Governmental Relations Program • Intersociety Liaison

8. Specific PI Endeavors • Ask the Expert • Physician’s Gateway • Radiation Primer – more later

9. Intersociety Liaison • Task Force for HPS/AAHP Education Benchmark • Using the Benchmarks for Science Literacy - providing educators with learning goals to design core curriculum • Opportunity to insert radiation science into K-12 via National Science Education Standards • Opportunity to leverage several major professional/technical organizations • Workshop anticipated in next 6 months

10. Proposed Advances • Expand committee by adding worker bees to plan and administer the Society’s Professional Development Schools • Innovative Approaches to Continuing Education Ad Hoc Committee • Encourage individual health physicists to seek out and associate with their local community Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)

11. Medical Reserve Corps • MRC www.medicalreservecorps.gov • Focus of the MRCs is in preparing local communities to deal with public health emergencies, but also provides a great vehicle for HPs to educate their community on radiation issues.  • Currently 700 units across 50 states with a volunteer force of about 150,000.  Includes all sorts of professionals (from clinicians to mental health professionals, clergymen, business associates) plus ordinary people wanting to help their communities.  • Very few health physicists are involved.

12. Proposed Advances • Expand committee by adding worker bees to plan and administer the Society’s Professional Development School Program • Innovative Approaches to Continuing Education Ad Hoc Committee • Encourage individual health physicists to seek out and associate with their local community Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) • Keeping the "pipeline" full of science and engineering students

13. Filling the Pipeline • Approach our affiliates and those having employment needs in HP, seeking funding and support.  Perhaps they could support a lecture series as a co-sponsor with HPS.   • Our argument to them would be the need to “fill the pipeline” for future talent.   • We could also recruit those companies to become affiliates - why are major utilities, major DOE contractors, reactor vendors, and major medical institutions not affiliates?

14. Proposed Advances • Develop a symposium series for university programs

15. Symposium Series • Experienced HP would present a lecture, either on life’s lessons as an HP or some other topic of interest (LNT, anti-terrorism, etc.) to students and faculty.  • Could start with our student HPS chapters, but envision a potentially larger audience including related fields (biology, chemistry, nuclear engineering, etc.) at those universities.  • Could include information to “recruit” undergraduate or graduate students.  With some coordination, it could even be part of university efforts to recruit high school students.  • It might be possible to record a lecture series; however, the disadvantage is lack of human interaction (Q&A).

16. Proposed Advances • Develop a symposium series for university programs • Partnering with other major players to leverage our resources

17. Partnering to Leverage Resources • Agencies of course would include DOE, NRC, EPA. • Organizations include AAPM, CRCPD, ANS, AIHA

18. Funding Support • Major educational programs quite expensive – approx 10% + of HPS budget • Share funding burden with partners

19. Academic Program Funding • Status of NRC-managed nuclear education fund • Funding may not be available under Continuing Resolution (CR) for funding FY09 but eventually could amount to $3-5M/year • Vision was to have the program do more than just fund scholarships, fellowships, and junior faculty • Consider innovative ways to support academic program infrastructure and research, perhaps involving program consortiums

20. Proposed Advances • Develop a symposium series for university programs • Partnering with other major players to leverage our resources • Expanded use of media technology

21. Expanded Use of Media Technology • Media possibilities essentially unlimited. Cable TV, satellite radio, etc. Some are seeking programming. • But a lot of people get their info the easy way via the internet. That is where the biggest bang for the buck is. • Educational seminars and demonstrations online would be good, e.g. YouTube type stuff. Images of cloud chambers, detectors responding to consumer products and natural background, etc.

22. Proposed Advances • Develop a symposium series for university programs • Partnering with other major players to leverage our resources • Expanded use of media technology • 2010 PDS on “Communicating Radiation Issues to Non-Radiation Audiences”

23. Communication re radiation risk • Put it in layman’s terms

24. How can we communicate better? • Cognitive Neuroscience revisited • Both President Toohey and I are ISTJ • Ad Hoc Committee to focus on communication • Better understanding, preparation, and implementation • Mobilizing Against Anti-Nuclear Disinformation – ETCHPS

25. Proposed Advances • Develop a symposium series for university programs • Partnering with other major players to leverage our resources • Expanded use of media technology • PDS for 2010 on communication of radiation risk • Radiation Primer

26. How much more to endure?

27. Roll out Radiation Primer • Most significant current educational initiative is the Radiation Primer: A Citizen’s Guide to Radiation. • Preparing to give it great play in DC and with other organizations and agencies. • Website initiated 19 May 2008 www.radiationanswers.org/. • Invited by NRC to hold a workshop

28. Let’s talk about radiation • Radiation Primer Website addresses questions about radiation • Purpose of information on this website is to help average citizen find answers quickly and easily. • We encourage viewer to simply browse through it. • Viewer can even conduct a search to find the exact page of the item in which he/she is interested. • Our objective is to share factual, easy-to-read information. Knowledge can reduce fear and anxiety about radiation.

29. Radiation Primer Content • Introduction • Radiation and Me • Sources and Uses • Myths • Q & A • Resources • About us/Contact information

30. Primer Introduction • Types of radiation • Radiation exposure • Detecting & measuring

31. Radiation & Me • Effects of radiation • Radiation and cancer • Radiation and production • Controversy about radiation

32. Sources & Uses • Natural radiation • Medical uses • Security devices • Household products • Food irradiation • Industrial uses • Radioactive wastes

33. Primer Q & A Content • Radiation and pregnancy • Radiation and sun tanning • Nuclear power • Dirty bombs • Radiation basics • Radiation exposure • Radiation in small doses

34. Primer well referenced • Scientific reports • Online resources • Books and other reports • Articles • Regulatory organizations • Standards organizations • Glossary

35. This must end sometime!

36. What can I do? • Support local Chapter educational endeavors • Support national HPS educational initiatives • Volunteer for an “education” committee or in a training workshop • Mobilize Against Anti-Nuclear Disinformation • Volunteer to speak – school, club, conference, etc. • Judge a science fair • Write an OpEd piece

37. Summary • HPS is organized to implement our strategic plan • Educational endeavors are at the core of our strategic plan • There is no shortage of good educational initiatives • Armed with effective communication skills and knowledge, we can educate better • We must use all our resources and leverage those of others to make a major difference

38. Above all: We need Action

39. Go Boldly Forth • “If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must employ methods never before attempted.” Sir Francis Bacon

40. Questions • Health Physics Society 1313 Dolley Madison Boulevard Suite 402 McLean, Virginia 22101 Phone: 703-790-1745 Fax: 703-790-2672 Email: hps@BurkInc.com

41. Supplementary Slides • HPS Committee educational functions

42. Academic Education • Academic Education Committee is responsible for the HPS Strategic Plan Objective 4.3: encouraging students to embark on health physics careers. • The committee works to assure that the quality and numbers of people entering the health physics profession meet projected demand.

43. Continuing Education • The Continuing Education Committee is responsible for the HPS Strategic Plan Objective 3.2. Specifically, the Continuing Education Committee is responsible for: • Conducting or facilitating continuing education activities for Society members, • Administering the Society's Professional Development School Program, • Working with the Secretariat to make continuing education materials available to the membership, and • Keeping abreast of continuing education opportunities offered by institutions and other organizations.

44. Homeland Security • The Homeland Security Committee is responsible for HPS Strategic Plan Objective 5.8. • The Committee provides assistance to members and local chapters of the Society in: • preparing and updating training information and guidance documents for use by Society members and Chapters to assist government programs and to train first responders • implementing Society and Chapter programs to provide trainers or speakers requested by homeland security agencies or teams

45. Public Information • The Public Information Committee is responsible for HPS Strategic Plan Objectives 5.1, 5.3, and 5.5 - 5.7 by: • Gathering, organizing, and presenting information for presentation to lay persons, governmental organizations, and individuals, and to other scientific and technical organizations; and • Facilitating dissemination of accurate and unbiased information with regard to ionizing radiation by preparing educational materials and other activities.

46. Science Support • Science Support Committee is responsible for maintaining and improving science and mathematics teaching. This is accomplished by: • Developing, maintaining, and coordinating training materials for chapters to use in conducting Science Teacher Workshops, • Providing to educators instructional materials that pertain to radiological science, • Providing guidance on the distribution of radiation instruments to entities requesting them for use in science education activities, and • Developing and maintaining a network of chapter contacts available to workshop sponsors and teachers.

47. Government Relations • Government Relations Program’s first duty is to coordinate "the effort to make the Society and its members available to government entities as an educational resource for issues related to radiation and radiation safety."

48. Strategic Plan • 5. Foster the use of sound science in public policy and the • recognition of the HPS • Director for Goal 5 • 5.1 Establish the Society as the source of expertise in radiation • safety • Government and Society • Relations (Lead) • Scientific and Public Issues • Public Information • 5.2 Maintain and improve interaction with other professional • societies • Government and Society • Relations • 5.3 Maintain and improve external communications Government and Society • Relations (Lead) • Public Information • 5.4 Inform elected officials and agency personnel on radiation • safety issues • Government and Society • Relations • 5.5 Inform the public on radiation safety issues Public Information • 5.6 Communicate with news media personnel on radiation safety • issues • Public Information • 5.7 Provide reliable and useful information about radiation • protection to people from all walks of life • Public Information • 5.8 Assist Federal and other agencies achieve a greater degree of • homeland security with regard to radiological events. • Homeland Security