IAEA calls for nuclear emergency communication ideas from students, young professionals

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is calling on students and young professionals from around the world to offer new ideas regarding communication around nuclear and radiological emergencies.

Calling the effort the “Young Innovative Communicators Competition,” participants must consider two questions: how can communication support response to these issues efficiently, and how should communication be shaped to prevent panic and rumors in a better way, while maintaining the public trust?

The competition draws from a number of areas. Emergency response, social media, and outreach are all as critical as crisis communication itself, and all a part of the emergency communication structure the IAEA is looking to evolve. Students and young professionals between the ages of 18 and 25 in those fields are encouraged to submit their ideas and answers to nuclear and radiological emergency communication challenges.

“We hope to gather new ideas from youth on how to produce the right and timely messages during a nuclear emergency and disseminate them using relevant channels, whether it be social media, digital applications, multimedia or others,” said Jason Cameron, vice president and chief communications officer at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. “We hope for unique and thought-provoking ideas. The voice of the youth is vital in the global discussion and decision-makers taking part in the symposium will be keen to discuss communication challenges with the finalists.”

Participants will be expected to include descriptions of their concept, as well as information about themselves. The IAEA will select its winner during an Austria-based International Symposium on Communicating Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies to the Public in October of this year.

Submissions conclude on June 15.