Atomic Junction: Nuclear Power in an African Suburb

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Atomic Junction: Nuclear Power in an African SuburbThis project investigates how Ghanaian scientists have sustained a movement to develop nuclear energy in a suburban landscape over the past forty years. The starting hypothesis is that scientists have nurtured a dream for nuclear energy while providing important services in radiation protection at medical facilities. Preliminary research suggests that the scientific and commercial sectors in Ghana have become increasingly embedded and co-dependent. Through an examination of scientists, community leaders and their relationship with commercial interests, the project will greatly expand our understanding of scientific practice in a post-colonial nation and provide new avenues for nuclear energy policy. Ghana has witnessed a variety of financial policies since independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, including socialist and neo-liberal regimes. This project will provide important documentation of how scientists have managed to weather economic downturns. Methods include collecting archival materials and conducting interviews with select leaders in business and science engaged in efforts to develop alternative energy sources and monitor radiation at hospitals and clinics. While energy production is a future goal, the study examines how scientists with access to a 30kW miniature neutron source reactor (the GHAAR-1) and Cobalt-60 gamma source currently provide assistance to entrepreneurs in the agricultural and medical sectors. Deliverables include a book and short film examine the historical relationship between scientific research on atomic energy and commerce in and around Kwabenya, Ghana (an area popularly called Atomic Junction).