FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: 2/7/2006
CONTACT: Lara Kain, Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia Outreach
Coordinator. outreach@creeca.wisc.edu or 608-265-6298
CONFERENCE TO EXAMINE LEGACY OF CHERNOBYL AS NUCLEAR ACCIDENT’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY NEARS
Madison, WI — The legacy of the explosion at the Chernobyl
Nuclear Power Station in the Ukraine twenty years ago this April will be the
subject of a
two-day conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The conference,
to be held March 23-25, 2006, at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, is free
and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.
Among the confirmed speakers
are:
- David Marples, Professor of History, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
and the author of The Social Impact of the Chernobyl Disaster - Louisa Vinton,
United Nations Development Program, New York - Oksana Garnets, United Nation
Development Program, Ukraine
April 26, 1986 marked
not the limit but the starting point of the Chernobyl catastrophe. Its repercussions
continue to be seen among the five million people
living across regions of the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia that were contaminated
by the accident. The affected populations have had to cope with the ongoing
political, social, environmental and health consequences of the accident. Moreover,
they have had to cope with the often conflicting recommendations of scientists
and experts who have yet to come to a consensus on Chernobyl’s aftermath.
The
conference will examine the ongoing psychological and social effects of the
disaster and how governmental and nongovernmental organizations have changed
over time to address the evolving nature of the disaster. The conference will
also examine the legacy of Chernobyl here, including disaster relief training
and practice as well as the efforts of local and regional NGOs to aid and train
populations in the affected lands.
The conference is being sponsored by FOCCUS,
the Friends of Chernobyl Centers, U.S.; the Center for Russia, East Europe
and Central Asia, a member program
of the UW-Madison’s International Institute; and the Stasiuk Program
for the Study of Contemporary Ukraine.
For more information, contact Lara Kain at the Center for Russia, East Europe,
and Central Asia, 210 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive, Madison , WI 53706-1397.
Tel: 608.265.6298; Fax: 608.890.0267; outreach@creeca.wisc.edu
Additional information, including a registration form, is available on the
conference’s Web site at http://www.wisc.edu/creeca/chernobyl2006/index.html
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