Background/Objectives
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) works with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation and reduce the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism around the world. PNNL’s Operational Readiness Instructional Design team assists with these efforts by collaborating with subject matter experts (SMEs) across disciplines to develop curriculum that is intended to strengthen the capabilities of our global partners. These capacity building efforts aide in the detection, identification and mitigation of risks related to national security.
Historically, training materials have been printed and shipped directly to learners at international locations. Producing training materials consumes resources such as; paper, ink, bindings, glues, cardboard boxes, laminates, and plastics to name a few. These traditional practices have had a negative impact on natural resources. Moreover, shipping these materials through several different modes of transportation requires fuel usage, which also has a negative effect on carbon emissions.
Approach/Activities
Instructional designers at PNNL are implementing innovative strategies for sharing training materials with their partner countries. These forward-leaning strategies have played an instrumental role in contributing to climate resiliency though carbon reduction practices.
PNNL has eco-consciously invested in the use of the following innovative digital technologies to disseminate materials and information. The use of these technologies promotes sustainability best practices, as well as providing end users with access to pertinent information in real-time. This enables the application of cutting-edge solutions to real-world situations.
- NSDD FRONTLINE APP - provides end-users with immediate access to operation, maintenance, and training content for NNSA-provided radiation detection equipment.
Learning Management System (LMS) - provides instructors a means to facilitate training programs and providing deliverables to participants throughout the globe.
Results/Lessons Learned
PNNL’s green initiatives are changing behaviors by encouraging the sharing of information through technology instead of traditional methods and is therefore empowering resiliency with technology and design. The tools and methods that our Instructional Designers employ in nuclear nonproliferation training reduces our environmental impact and provides climate resiliency without sacrificing the goal of instructional design, which is effective learning. This proactive practice can be easily adopted across program domains and disciplines to further the goals of reducing our carbon footprint.