Series: Who is an expert?
Nowadays, you can find one for every conceivable topic and field: the expert. But what exactly makes someone an expert? Who decides whether someone is an expert or not? And who monitors the experts involved in the project of the century of deep geological disposal?
Our three-part series sheds some light on these questions. Today, we start by travelling back in time to polymath Alexander von Humboldt.
Whether geology, botany, geography or climatology: polymath Alexander von Humboldt was considered an expert in a number of scientific disciplines. Humboldt was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1769 and explored the world for decades. Two major research trips took him to Latin America and Russia. Humboldt’s approach was to explore the world in its entirety, because he was convinced that everything was somehow connected.
It is therefore not surprising that Humboldt advanced the then-current state of knowledge in various disciplines. Mountains, an ocean current and even a species of penguin were named after him. He recorded his discoveries and findings in innumerable letters and books. Observations from his trip to America alone filled more than 30 books. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a friend of Humboldt, said of him: “He can make himself at home wherever he goes.”
One of the last of a kind
Alexander von Humboldt was considered a polymath because he pushed the boundaries of knowledge in various natural sciences by making new discoveries or advocating new theories based on his findings. Nowadays, there are no more universal experts. It is simply no longer possible to be at the cutting edge of research in several scientific disciplines at once. Too much knowledge has been accumulated in the centuries since Humboldt’s death. Every natural science consists of numerous subdisciplines in which you can and must specialise if you want to push the boundaries of knowledge.
Nagra has also accumulated new knowledge in its more than 50-year history. This is thanks to highly specialised experts such as Nikitas Diomidis and Daniel Traber. The latter is a geologist or, to be more precise, a hydrogeologist. He has been researching the deep groundwater of Northern Switzerland for over 20 years, with the objective of understanding the flow systems of different deep groundwaters and determining their age and underground retention times. As co-author of numerous papers and reports, he is one of Switzerland’s leading experts on deep groundwater.
Nikitas Diomidis, on the other hand, is researching how different materials rust or, to use the technical term, corrode over long periods of time. This knowledge is of great importance when it comes to designing the disposal canister. In addition to various long-term experiments conducted in underground rock laboratories, Diomidis is also involved in the development of new research methods: he uses neutron-computed tomography and 2,000-year-old Roman nails to better understand underground corrosion processes.
The knowledge base surrounding a deep geological repository for Switzerland was not developed by one individual person. There is no Mr. or Mrs. Repository with the stature Alexander von Humboldt once enjoyed. Several generations of highly specialised researchers have dedicated themselves to the disposal of radioactive waste. Only by combining the expertise and knowledge of numerous individuals can the project of the century of deep geological disposal be accomplished.
If Alexander von Humboldt were born again today, it would be exciting to see where his scientific career would take him. Would he remain a generalist or would he once again push the boundaries of knowledge as a highly specialised researcher?
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