Video: radioisotope laboratories in buses?

Two mobile radioisotope laboratories in eleven countries? That’s possible! Historian of nuclear science, Maria Rentetzi, explains her research on how two mobile radioisotope laboratories were offered as gifts to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by the United States. The two mobile laboratories represent an important stage in the early development of the IAEA. Yet, they also demonstrate how a scientific artifact can play a major role in shaping scientific standardization processes and creating diplomatic ties and dependencies. The video shows the journey of the two mobile laboratories around the globe in the early 1960s and the historical context of the Cold War in which they emerged.

Gift or trojan horse? A documentary

About the project

With the aim of breaking down the boundaries between the academic and public audiences, Maria Rentetzi and her team have launched a new video series on the public history of radiation protection funded by their ERC grant. The video was produced by Ismail Barakat, the project’s media advisor. For more information, please visit the project homepage.