Closing The Gap

Having professionals of different backgrounds and disciplines gathering in a workshop can lower mutual gaps of understanding between practitioners of the various disciplines. That was the intention of an MNS (Malaysian Nuclear Society) half a day workshop last Saturday, 15 December. Held at a hotel it was participated by a small but active groups of participants.
The speakers covered topics ranging from nuclear, to a new housing concept, new way of constructing buildings, greening of deserts using tropical trees, and technology in animal housing for livestock industry. It looked like a garden variety of topics with seemingly weak couplings between them. Leaving differences aside, an important thread tying them together stands out - that is they are all about technology, new technology, and innovation. Thus the title of the workshop "21st Century Science and Development to Achieve Vision 2020 and Beyond".
Energy technology, particularly nuclear energy should be seen in larger context. It serves the needs of everyone. It is part of a large family of technologies, even though some may dubbed nuclear as the pinnacle of all technologies. Indeed, the gathering too was able to highlight the interfaces between the various disciplines and how they can be exploited for common goods.
It was apparent that the use of nuclear technology beyond power generation is still not commonly known. The seminar was able to hammer that home.
The degree of innovation and creativity of those dedicated to advancing their respective areas of endeavor shone through at the workshop. This bodes well for nuclear energy that requires dedication, adeptness and affinity to technology. Overall, greater interaction promotes understanding; and that promote awareness and acceptance. The workshop too is untypical of MNS, or perhaps other workshops too, from several respects. The most obvious one is that the participants and speakers were dominantly from non-nuclear background.