Along with renewables, nuclear energy will play a crucial role in our sustainable energy future. But what about the nuclear waste? Isn’t it just sitting around for millions of years, poisoning the environment and anyone unlucky enough to come in contact with it? In this surprising talk, Nuclear Scientist Jen Shafer explains that we’re asking the wrong question - because nuclear waste isn’t waste! Jen Shafer is a Professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines. When she’s not thinking about radiochemistry (the chemistry of radioactive elements‚ not radios), she is considering ways to expedite the deployment of nuclear energy in the clean energy transition. She has worked on many projects for the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Defense. Jen is very fortunate to have an excellent partner in life, her wife Whitney, and two young children who will learn how to sleep through the night‚ someday. This bio would not be complete if she didn’t mention, at least once, that she does CrossFit. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx