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    Constructing Memory (Construire la mémoire)

    An International Conference and Debate on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory of Radioactive Waste across Generations

    Organised by the NEA with the support of Andra, the French Radioactive Waste Management Agency, "Constructing Memory – An International Conference and Debate on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) of Radioactive Waste across Generations" brought together nearly 200 attendees from 17 countries in Verdun, France in September 2014.

    The scope of the international conference was to present and discuss experiences, projects and prospects related to the preservation of RK&M both in radioactive waste management and in other domains, such as archiving, cultural heritage, archaeology, communication, semiotics and the arts. The conference, consisting in equal parts of plenary sessions and group discussions, ensured that a wide range of perspectives were presented and provided the space for cross-fertilisation across the several domains and sensibilities that were represented.

    The international conference was structured along three timescales used within the RK&M initiative of the NEA: short term (several decades and likely more than 100 years), medium term (several centuries after repository closure, extending up to 1 000 years) and long term (potentially starting at around 1 000 years after closure). Opening and closing lectures provided useful context and summarised discussions, thus completing the programme of the event.

    Please see below for the presentations delivered at the conference. You can also use the menu on the left-hand side to select the session you are interested in and access the relevant presentations.

    Conference Opening

    Constructing memory in the digital era – Experience, expectations and insights from the field of preservation of cultural heritage
    Prof. Marinos Ioannides, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus

    Knowledge for the future – Time eats information
    Emeritus Prof. Klaus Kornwachs, Brandenburg University of Technology, Germany

    Preservation of Records, Knowledge & Memory (RK&M) across generations – An OECD Nuclear Energy Agency initiative
    Claudio Pescatore, RK&M co-ordinator, NEA

    Session 3 – Short and medium term

    Discussion groups

    A summary of the discussions will be included in the conference proceedings (forthcoming).

    Session 4 – Long term

    Potential period with no oversight

    The findings of the RK&M initiative regarding the long term
    Anne Claudel, RK&M and Nagra, Switzerland

    Could the landscape preserve traces of a deep underground nuclear waste repository over a very long time? A study of the French case
    Prof. Dominique Harmand, University of Lorraine, France

    Semiotics and the long term: Research avenues and current results
    Prof. Eléni Mitropoulou, University of Limoges, France

    Archaeology of the future
    Profs. Cornelius Holtorf and Anders Högberg, Linnaeus University, Sweden

    Session 5 – Long term

    Discussion groups

    Report on group discussions
    Fabrice Boissier, Andra, France

    Conference Closure

    Conference rapporteur's report
    Emeritus Prof. Erik Van Hove, University of Antwerp, Belgium

    Media coverage

    30 October 2014 Terra Eco Ci-gisent déchets nucléaires enfouis il y a 10 000 ans
    13 October 2014 Nuclear Culture Constructing Memory Conference
    22 September 2014 Natura Sciences Nucléaire: comment assurer la mémoire de Cigéo ?
    19 September 2014 Techniques de l'ingénieur Déchets radioactifs ?: comment préserver la mémoire ??
    18 September 2014 Deutschlandfunk Wie schützt man kommende Generationen?
    18 September 2014 Journal de la Haute-Marne Déchets radioactifs : jusqu’aux limites de la mémoire
    18 September 2014 L'Est Républicain Colloque la mémoire à Verdun : Une approche mondiale
    17 September 2014 Natura Sciences Nucléaire : préserver la mémoire sur des millénaires ?
    16 September 2014 L'Est Républicain Colloque sur la mémoire à Verdun : Le défi de la transmission
    15 September 2014 L'Est Républicain Colloque : la mémoire en question

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