Speaker - Daniel J. Strom, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A sign on my office wall reads, “I reserve the right to get smarter.” Looking back over the 115 years since Röntgen discovered x-rays, there have been many opportunities to get smarter in the profession of radiation protection. Radiation protection is the profession concerned with protecting humankind and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation. Radiation protection practice is based on 10 principles. Examples of “getting smarter” leading to successes in radiation protection are presented for each principle and commandment. If one’s job is to ensure that nothing bad happens, perfect success can be indicated only by the absence of failure. Radiation protection in the USA has evolved to the point where being taken for granted may endanger continued success.