S5E1B – Jaz Diab – Special Forces Nuclear Scientist, Nerd and Mum! Part B

The Unforgiving60

In this episode, we continue our chat with Jaz Diab, the multi-talented former Commanding Officer of the Australian Special Operations Engineer Regiment. Jaz reflects on her experiences as one of the first females in combat roles within Special Operations, before looking at her transition out of the military and subsequent focus on nuclear science. Jaz then talks us through some of the difficulties in progressing the conversation related to nuclear energy in Australia, as well as her role as the President of Women in Nuclear – Australia.

01:30 Was Jaz forging a new path for women through her example in the Army? (Spoiler alert: she absolutely was. We just wanted to see if she thought she was at the time!)

03:50 Reflections on the parallels with Monika Georgieva’s trailblazing role as a female within the infantry corps (check out our episode with Monika back in Season 2 Episode 3)

06:45 Jaz’s role as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician – bomb disposal! The pressure of the role – physical and psychological. And just how accurate is the movie The Hurt Locker?!

13:30 Ben goes off on a tangential rant about restocking the fridge when you take a cold beverage….

14:00 Tim brings the conversation back on track by asking about Jaz’s experience as an aide to the Chief of Army

15:00 Reflections from the top – the pressures on leaders of big organisations

21:45 Tim remembers trying to beat the Chief of Army in a run

22:40 Jaz leaves the Army – and gets even more interested in nukes! Plus her reflections on why Australia has such difficulties considering nuclear power as a potential alternative to fossil fuels

26:30 The risks of nuclear power – are they overblown given modern technology? And how can we safely dispose of nuclear waste?

31:30 The difference between fission and fusion – and how feasible is cold fusion?

32:30 Jaz’s role as President of Women in Nuclear – Australia

37:00 Being a mum – harder than defusing bombs! Jaz talks to her experience as the mother of a gorgeous little girl with achondroplasia – a form of dwarfism.

41:20 On finding out about her daughter’s condition – and dealing with this news and what it meant for her child

46:00 How has Jaz and her partner worked through these challenges

External Links

ANVAM – Australian National Veterans Arts Museum – www.anvam.org.au

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Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify