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Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs
Tammy Ma: Breaking the Wall to Limitless Energy
Falling Walls Foundation | Tammy Ma
How Laser-Driven Fusion Could Power the Planet
Nuclear fission, while a potent source of energy, is not without its significant challenges. One of the primary issues lies in the radioactive waste generated during the process. Fission reactions produce long-lived radioactive isotopes that pose a severe environmental and health hazard. Proper disposal and containment of this nuclear waste are paramount, requiring secure, long-term storage solutions to prevent contamination and potential disasters.
Tammy Ma, the Lead for the Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) Initiative at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, played a pivotal role in the historic achievement of fusion ignition in December 2022 at the National Ignition Facility. Unlike the prevailing method of energy generation used globally, fusion offers the potential for generating massive amounts of energy with significantly reduced dangerous by-products.
At Falling Walls, Ma will discuss her once-in-a-lifetime breakthrough and the pressing need for sustainable energy solutions that could become possible in a fusion-powered world.
LIVE EVENT; AVAILABLE VIA LIVESTREAM FREE OF CHARGE FOR LOGGED IN USERS AND ATTENDANCE IN LECTURE HALL. RADIAL, GROUND FL. FOR SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS
Dr. Tammy Ma is the Lead for the Inertial Fusion Energy Initiative at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, U.S.A. She is a member of the team that achieved fusion ignition in December 2022 at the National Ignition Facility, demonstrating more energy from fusion than the energy used to drive it, for the first time in history. Tammy holds a B.S. from Caltech, and M.S. and Ph.D. from UC San Diego. She is the recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. She was a Breakthrough Day speaker at Falling Walls 2023.
