Two summer programs offered by ORAU’s K-12 STEM education team set the stage for students and educators to get excited about and prepare for the nuclear renaissance taking place in Oak Ridge.
“Nuclear Science – From Atoms to Energy,” was a day-long professional development workshop, offered free-of-charge by ORAU, for K-8 teachers. The workshop was designed to equip them with a stronger, more confident understanding of nuclear science so they could help get their students more excited and more confident in learning about the subject.
Kris Light demonstrates how a centrifuge is used to separate uranium for use in the creation of nuclear fuel.
Meghan Millwood, ORAU President and CEO, turns a hand-crank as part of a demonstration of nuclear fission to power a series of lightbulbs.
Led by Kris and Kenny Light, the workshop featured engaging, hands-on demonstrations designed to make complex ideas, like nuclear fusion and fission, accessible and understandable. Hands-on activities included demonstrations of how a centrifuge works, as well as a demonstration of nuclear fission using a hand-crank to generate electrical current to power a series of lightbulbs.
Taralynn Kantor, a third-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., was in Oak Ridge for the nuclear science workshop. She said the workshop helped her understand complex concepts.
“I found myself challenged [before this workshop],” Kantor said. “Being in this room to absorb the information and then to put my hands on these concepts, ideas and experiments is going to help my teaching with my students.”
The ORAU Nuclear Science Mini-Academy was a day-long program geared toward upper elementary and young middle school students. Like the nuclear science professional development workshop, the mini-academy offered hands-on activities that broaden the understanding of nuclear energy, especially as it relates to Oak Ridge.
A student in the ORAU Nuclear Science Mini-Academy demonstrates one of the nuclear science principles taught during the day-long workshop.
“Mini-Academy students had a great day learning about nuclear science,” said Shannon Turner, K-12 STEM education project management specialist. “As a former educator, I’m always heartened to see the moment a student understands a concept they’ve been wrestling with. We saw that a lot during the mini-academy.”
A student in the ORAU Nuclear Science Mini-Academy examines a display case of Geiger counters at the ORAU Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity.
Both the nuclear science professional development workshop and the mini-academy are part of ORAU’s ongoing efforts to meet the workforce needs of the growing nuclear energy industry in Oak Ridge.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects the sector will require over 375,000 skilled workers by 2050 to sustain ongoing nuclear power operations and continue next-generation reactor deployment, Workers from welders and electricians to health physicists and nuclear engineers and everything in between will be needed to meet the demands of the growing workforce.
The ORAU-led Nuclear Energy Academic Roadmap (NEAR) lays out the necessary educational path that begins with a child’s first exposure to science concepts and continues through decades of professional growth, also referred to as “K to gray,” to create a workforce pipeline for nuclear energy.
Regarding educational opportunities like the nuclear science professional development workshop and the student mini-academy, the NEAR says, “introducing nuclear science and technology concepts early can ignite curiosity and lay the groundwork for future careers in the nuclear field. This early exposure helps students develop a foundational understanding that can evolve with their education. Early exposure to nuclear science cultivates a generation that is not only informed but also inspired to innovate.”
Hands-on learning programs like those offered by ORAU’s K-12 STEM team have the potential to encourage both students and teachers to learn more about the nuclear industry and pursue careers in a sector that is full of possibilities.