The Berkeley RadWatch Project: Origins

The UC Berkeley Department of Nuclear Engineering has been performing a large range of radiation measurements since March 2011, following the releases of radioactive materials from the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. One of the goals of this activity was to measure the radioactivity in Californian samples that could potentially be associated with the releases in Japan using state-of-the-art experiments, to publish the data without filter or restriction, and to put the results in the context of the radiation we are exposed to in our daily lives.

In response to the resurgent interest in radiation levels due to the expected arrival of cesium at the North American west coast, we increased our efforts again in 2014-2016 to measure samples potentially affected by the Pacific Ocean current transport. In addition to measurement samples of fish, seaweed, crab, etc., we aided in the Kelp Watch initiative, which aimed at measuring a potential cesium uptake into kelp, which are of particular interest because they act as a sponge for many toxins.

Expansion of measurement capabilities

  1. We are now involving the more sensitive monitoring system of the Berkeley Lab Low-Background Facility; to allow investigations of smaller samples such as Bay Area sediments, etc.
  2. We are expanding our sample collection to include a wider range of sample types and origins and to look beyond radiation at heavy metal concentrations using neutron activation to make such measurements using the same equipment and techniques as are employed for our other measurements.
  3. A continuous air monitoring station was installed on UC Berkeley campus in 2014 and we have provided, of-and-on, near real-time data from this system on our website, including weather data we are collecting at the same location. The goal of this effort is not only to provide the radiation levels to the broader public but to encourage simple science projects with the data.
  4. We have started a new initiative, DoseNet, building a growing network of environmental and radiation sensor systems across the Bay Area, US, and internationally which connects communities, educators, and researchers across the network.

We hope you will find our data and its interpretation useful. We will continue the monitoring and the publication of results across our different measurement systems to provide an on-going context for radiation and other potential exposure risks in our environment.

Check out our news coverage!

March 10, 2016

June 21, 2012

April 5, 2011

April 1, 2011

March 30, 2011

March 28, 2011

March 25, 2011

March 19, 2011

March 18, 2011

March 17, 2011

MEET OUR TEAM

Kai Vetter

Kai Vetter

Supervising Professor

Dr. Kai Vetter is a Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and Faculty Senior Scientist and Head of the Applied Nuclear Physics program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is director of the Institute for Resilient Communities that was established in 2015 to address the need to better integrate advancements in sciences and technologies with communities through education and outreach locally and globally. Prof. Vetter initiated and still leads the Berkeley Radwatch and DoseNet programs.

Ali Hanks

Ali Hanks

Supervising Scientist

Ali Hanks is a Research Scientist and Lecturer in the Nuclear Engineering department at UC Berkeley. She works under Prof. Kai Vetter as a member of the radiation imaging group, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in nuclear science research. Dr. Hanks operates as the day-to-day lead for the RadWatch and Dosenet teams and runs a summer internship program for high school students sponsored by this outreach program.

Chris Lamb

Chris Lamb

Graduate Researcher

Chris is a PhD student primarily acting as a resource for other undergraduate researchers involved with DoseNet and RadWatch or helps with public education at outreach events .

Dani Solakian

Dani Solakian

Affiliate Researcher

Dani Solakian is an Undergrad Student Researcher working with the Dosenet/Radwatch team to educate, empower, and provide tools for the public to understand radiation and the environment surrounding them.

Gilder Montepeque

Gilder Montepeque

Undergraduate Researcher

Gilder is a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Nuclear Engineering. He is currently working on neutron activation analysis, software development, and outreach events. He bought a fridge from Ben lmao.

Kat Leong

Kat Leong

Undergraduate Researcher, Project Manager

Kat is a UC Berkeley junior majoring in Nuclear Engineering (CO'28), with a minor in Materials Science & Engineering. They are currently working on the development of new DoseNet devices, optimizing hardware calibration and maintenance, and conducting outreach events for the group.

Edward Owen Koijane

Edward Owen Koijane

Undergraduate Researcher, Project Manager

Edward is a Freshman at UC Berkeley Majoring in Physics/Astrophysics, with an intended minor in Nuclear Engineering. He focuses specifically on particle/nuclear physics and aspires to be an experimentalist. Currently, he assists in building and maintaining DoseNet’s systems and is interested in Outreach and Sample Measurement Systems.

Sam Wolf

Sam Wolf

Undergraduate Researcher

Sam is a freshman at UC Berkeley majoring in Nuclear Engineering intending to minor in Middle Eastern Languages and Culture. He is passionate about nuclear outreach and education as well as radiation detection.

Emilien Strudel

Emilien Strudel

Undergraduate Researcher

Emilien is a freshman at UC berkeley majoring in Nuclear Engineering. With a passion for research and development, he is currently working on refining analysis techniques, ground sample measurement, network device development, and the establishment of more robust data collection frameworks.

Alex Block

Alex Block

Alex "Grass" Block was a UC Berkeley freshman studying Norwegian Studies but mispelled it and settled for Nuclear Engineering. He is currently supposedly focusing on calibrating DoseNet devices... if only he wasn't eating our sources before he could finish.