Nuclear engineer & former Miss America, Grace Vanderhei joins Chuck Todd to break down the realities of nuclear energy—what’s safer than most people think, what genuinely needs fixing, and why public perception has lagged so far behind the science. From how she got into nuclear engineering to how disasters like Fukushima reshaped the industry’s momentum, Grace explains why rare accidents dominate the narrative, even as nuclear power remains one of the safest jobs in the country. The conversation explores America’s aging nuclear infrastructure, the challenges of upgrading decades-old plants, and why rising grid demand from AI is pushing utilities to restart and refurbish reactors instead of building new ones. Chuck and Grace also dig into the promise and limits of small modular reactors, the unresolved problem of nuclear waste storage, and how pop culture—from Homer Simpson to Hollywood—has warped the way we think about nuclear energy, all while pointing listeners to where they can follow Grace’s work and research.
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Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
00:45 Why the ToddCast decided to do the “New Voices” series
01:45 Grace Vanderhei is a former Miss America, now promoting nuclear energy
02:30 Nuclear energy is generally safe, but when it’s not safe it’s catastrophic
03:30 Environmentalists are split on nuclear power
04:45 Demand for power is way up, nuclear power will be needed to meet it
8:15 Grace Vanderhei joins the Chuck ToddCast
9:30 How Grace got into nuclear engineering
13:00 Advances in the tools engineers use
14:30 Fukushima disaster set back momentum in nuclear industry
15:45 Every nuclear facility stores emergency backup parts close by
17:15 Disasters are rare, but capture the public perception of nuclear
18:45 Nuclear tends to be more associated with weapons than energy
20:45 How big of a concern is America’s aging nuclear infrastructure?
23:15 Difficulties with updating decades old nuclear pants?
24:45 Grid demand from AI has led to restarting old nuclear plants
25:30 Refurbishing vs. building new nuclear plants
26:45 The nuclear plant decommissioning process
28:45 Three mile island wasn’t far into decommissioning before refurbishment
30:45 The development of small, modular nuclear reactors
32:15 Small modular reactors are on submarines, not used commercially yet
33:45 Safe, workable SMR’s are still a few years away
35:30 Other countries have surpassed US’s ability to build nuclear power
36:15 Which popular misconceptions are easiest to debunk?
37:30 There are only 6 safer jobs than working at a nuclear plant
38:45 Environmental community has always been divided over nuclear
40:15 Challenges of storing nuclear waste
41:15 There aren’t great current options for storing commercial nuclear waste
43:45 Is Homer Simpson good or bad for perception of nuclear energy?
45:15 Where you can find Grace’s work
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The Chuck ToddCast