Mr. Luke Laliberte and Mr. Nushaer Abrar, Graduate Students, VT, will present a talk entitled "The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident" at 10:40 am.

April 25, 2025

@10:40 am, 440 Goodwin Hall, Blacksburg (in-person), 6051 VTRC, Arlington
For remote access, click here to register

Abstract
The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident is widely considered the worst nuclear disaster of all time, with consequences we are still dealing with today. This presentation covers how the regulatory environment in the Soviet Union, operator errors, and design flaws in the RBMK-1000 reactor created a perfect storm of errors that prompted a power surge large enough to blow up a nuclear reactor and resulted in the most catastrophic nuclear accident the industry has seen since its inception. The aftermath of Chernobyl and its environmental, health, and economic impacts were immense, reshaping public perception and nuclear policy. Key lessons from Chernobyl continue to influence reactor safety, emergency planning, and global nuclear industry practices today.

Bio
Mr. Luke Laliberte is a graduate student in the Nuclear Engineering Program at Virginia Tech. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree, working under the guidance of Dr. Haghighat. His research focuses on using Monte Carlo and Fission Matrix methods to analyze and model pebble bed reactors.

Mr. Nushaer Abrar is a graduate student in the Nuclear Engineering Program at Virginia Tech. He is currently pursuing a PhD degree, and conducts research with the Multiphase Flow and Thermal Hydraulics Lab under the supervision of Dr. Yang Liu. His research includes investigating bubble coalescence and interaction mechanisms using high speed images and machine learning.