Final Post

            Throughout the semester of blog posts, my group has covered the seemingly endless cleanup of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.   We focused on the attempts to cleanup and prevent further radiation leak, which has proven to be a daunting task for TEPCO.  Another area of concern was the response of the Japanese government and the statements released.  A common theme since the disaster occurred is uncertainty, of how much radiation has leaked and the effects that this radiation will have.  While this ambiguity is present, the statements released have been ones of reassurance that all is fine.  Our group further evaluated the role of the government in the cleanup efforts, specifically whether the government is capable of handling the cleanup, especially with the heavy funds required for the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and the reconstruction needed after multiple storms, such as Francisco.  While our blog requirements are finished, the cleanup in Japan is far from over. 

            Our group worked really well and efficiently.  Each week, we independently researched for interesting and relevant articles on the cleanup efforts in Japan and shared the information we obtained.  We had a rotating schedule of who was to write the blog post for the week, which was done on a Google doc.  The other members in the group would then have the opportunity to edit the post.  Once all viewed and agreed on the blog post, it would be uploaded on or before Friday.  The conduction of our group allowed all to take part in the uploading of blog posts, while catering to everyone’s busy schedule.  It was an efficient way to ensure that our posts were quality work and submitted on time each week.

             At the beginning of the year, I knew very little about the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.  I knew of the disaster, the very basic facts and that I should probably pay more attention to it.  Researching the meltdown has led to a better understanding of nuclear energy, the benefits and the drawbacks, and a realization of the interconnectedness of the world.  Even though I am a great distance from other countries in the world, in this case, Japan, the events in those countries can have an impact on my life and visa-versa.  The blog assignment also taught the importance of the media, and the necessity of not only paying attention to current events, but also the necessity of retrieving information from reliable sources.  Finally, I learned the complications of working in a group, such as the difficulty in finding time to meet, but how they were outweighed by the benefits of group work.  Each member has a different way of thinking and brings different ideas to the table, which leads to a well rounded product in the end.