Osama Baig, Canadian Nuclear Advocate, YouTube Content Creator, October ‘24
Osama Baig, Canadian Nuclear Advocate
Osama Baig, a nuclear engineer that started creating educational videos on YouTube related to all things nuclear during the Covid pandemic. Baig has since created over 100 videos he hopes serve as a public resource.
Meet Osama, the nuclear engineer dedicated to educating the public on nuclear energy through YouTube videos
As a science communicator and nuclear engineer, Osama Baig utilizes a blend of technical acumen (having a background in nuclear engineering) and communication skills to educate the public on nuclear energy. Baig has amassed over 6,000 followers on YouTube, a channel he started during the Covid Pandemic.
Baig wanted to remove negative stigma around nuclear by clarifying misconceptions and misunderstandings in his videos. Through this process, he hoped nuclear energy would receive greater public acceptance. On top of this, he intended the videos to act as an educational resource - the type of YouTube videos he wished were available when he studied nuclear engineering.
“My goal was how do I make studying nuclear engineering more accessible? Rather than going through textbooks which aren’t readily accessible in libraries or you can hardly find online, here's a video,” Baig said. “It's 4k, it's high quality. It has nice music in the background.”
Baig’s journey to nuclear started with encouragement from his parents to study STEM, particularly because his father was a chemist. Early on, he said his parents impressed on him the importance of entering a field that would have an impact on improving the lives of people.
Early on, Baig found a passion for the environment. In middle school, he was in the Eco Club, where he realized the importance of energy and of having sustainable electricity solutions.
A formative experience came in 10th grade, in a debate on nuclear power that he ultimately lost. It was 2011, in the wake of Fukushima, and Baig was assigned an anti-nuclear position, and thought he would have the edge given the recent accident. A friend of his won the debate by highlighting the strong safety record of the Canadian reactor fleet, which had not had a history of an accident like Fukushima. Baig began to study nuclear with more interest. He said that the seed had been planted which would grow into a passion.
Baig attended Ontario Tech University where he received a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from 2014-2020 and entered the nuclear industry upon graduation.
TheWorld Nuclear University online olympiad challengeolympiad required development of an educational video on a nuclear topic. Baig created a video on tritium because of the lack of YouTube videos describing how the isotope holds the keys as a future fuel source. The creation process was rewarding, this was just the beginning of the journey which would lead him to making more videos during the pandemic period.
Baig contributed videos to be used in a University of Alberta energy transitions course. He said providing videos for the fission and fusion modules stands out as one of his proudest achievements in the nuclear space.
Osama Baig, a Canadian nuclear advocate who produces educational videos on nuclear topics on YouTube.
High ranking executives entering the nuclear industry have reached out to Baig to tell him his videos prepared them for interviews. .
Another proud accomplishment for Baig came when a host community for a nuclear waste disposal site asked to make an educational video for them.
“They said, ‘hey, listen, we want to educate our community about deep geological repositories (DGRs),” Baig said. “‘We've been following your videos and we think you do an incredible job of simplifying how a deep geological repository works.
To create a video, generally, Baig forms an idea, pitches it, and films live on location. He develops a script around a narrative, in a way that hits home with his audience. Additionally, he thinks of himself two years ago and asks himself what questions he would have had about the industry and career and seeks to answer those questions for the public and industry workers.
In addition to his YouTube channel, Baig launched a podcast series Going Nuclear in which he talks to industry leaders, professionals, and communicators.
In July 2024, Baig visited the Slow Poke Reactor at ICENS in Jamaica. He also travelled to film the Douglas Point Nuclear Plant. Douglas point was Canada’s first full scale commercial nuclear plant and one of the first CANDU reactors.
From Baig’s perspective, Canada is a leader in nuclear energy and will continue to be so as long as it continues innovating and investing in the industry. He see’sther countries comingto view Canada as a benchmark of how to develop nuclear expertise and a skilled workforce.
Baig described Canada as a tier one nuclear nation. Canada possesses a rich history, filled with resourcefulness, and the development of an indigenous reactor design. Baig views nuclear as a type of identity for the country - a “nation that can get stuff done, do hard things, and do them by ourselves.”
Globally, Baig views nuclear energy as a tool to improve the quality of life for humanity
“Because people across the world die from exposure to fossil fuel emissions. They don't have access to clean drinking water and other resources,” Baig said. “Nuclear can help supply cheap electricity. The onus is on us to utilize our technologies, to maximize benefit to all of mankind.”
For Baig, part of nuclear advocacy is having the door open and making connections with people passionate about energy around the world. On his YouTube channel, Baig invites viewers to meet him for coffee in Toronto or virtually.
“I want to allow people to just feel encouraged to reach out, just even sending an email,” Baig said. “But nothing beats face to face conversations or even a virtual coffee.”