2007 annual meeting on nuclear technology. Report

This year's Annual Nuclear Technology Conference (JK) organized by the Deutsches Atomforum e.V. (DAtF) and the Kerntechnische Gesellschaft e.V. (KTG) was held in Karlsruhe on May 22-24. The attendance of more than 1,200 persons from 21 nations, and the increase in participation over the past few years, underline the role of this specialized congress as one of the leading international events in the field of the peaceful uses of nuclear power. The first day of the conference, with its plenary presentations, traditionally focused mainly on political and economic problems of the use of nuclear power. The situation of nuclear power in the United Kingdom, the key country of this year's meeting, was covered in depth. As usual, the program of the three-day event was organized as follows: plenary sessions on the first day were followed by topical sessions, technical sessions, and special events on the other days. This year, the conference featured a record program of 251 papers presented at these sessions. The 'Nuclear Power Campus' was arranged very successfully for the 5th time as an event comprising lectures and a 'hands-on' exhibition explaining the world of nuclear power in a transparent way to students from schools and universities. The special commitment to young scientists and to the preservation of competence in the nuclear field were emphasized at the JK 2007, among other things, in a workshop on 'Preservation of Competence in Nuclear Technology'. Nearly 20 young scientists presented results of their scientific work. The Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology was accompanied by a specialized exhibition with meeting points of industry organized by 33 manufacturers, vendors, and service companies. (orig.)