Conference to Examine Legacy of Chernobyl as Nuclear Accident

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:

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 XXX