Climate and Energy Webinar Series: March 11, 2011 - Webinar

Engaging Students and Addressing Critical Thinking Skills via the Nuclear Debate
- James D. Myers, University of Wyoming

Time - 10:00 am Pacific | 11:00 am Mountain | 12:00 pm Central | 1:00 pm Eastern
Duration - 1 hour. The presentation will be 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of discussion.
Format - Online web presentation via phone and Elluminate web conference software with questions and answers following.
Webinar goal - Assist educators in understanding various elements of the nuclear energy debate, including the challenges of waste and proliferation, and developing strategies for how to present them in classroom learning.
Registration - There is no registration fee, but registration is required to save a space (and because space is limited to 30, be sure you can commit before registering). Registration closes when the spaces fill or the Sunday night before each event, whichever comes first.
Contact - For questions contact Karin Kirk or Katryn Wiese (kkirk at carleton.edu or katryn.wiese at mail.ccsf.edu).

Nuclear power supplies approximately 16% of the world's electricity and is the only electrical generation technology that can supply baseload power and has an extremely low carbon footprint. Outside the U.S., particularly in Asia, next generation nuclear reactors are being constructed to meet growing electricity demand. Yet in the U.S., nuclear power is still a technology many fear, despite a safety record better than fossil fuels and calls by some green groups to use nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions. This Webinar will provide an overview of nuclear power, including its historical development, relevant nuclear physics, reactor design, and enrichment technologies. It will discuss the challenges of waste and proliferation with a view to the current world situation with regards to nuclear power.

Dr. Myers is a professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming and the Director of the Wyoming CCS Technology Institute. His background is in igneous petrology and geochemistry. In recent years, Myers' research has focused on geoscience education, particularly with respect to energy, resources and sustainability, and geological carbon sequestration. He has taught an upper division, non-majors energy course for the last six years.

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Resources and References from this Session

Nuclear Energy webinar slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 4.1MB Mar11 11) - The slides shown during the presentation
Webinar Webcast (MP4 Video 852.5MB Aug2 17)

Worksheets Jimm uses to teach about nuclear energy

Nuclear energy attitude survey (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 21kB Mar11 11)
Nuclear energy knowledge survey (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 180kB Mar11 11)

Nuclear energy worksheet - Exploring Fission and Fusion (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 180kB Mar11 11)
Nuclear energy worksheet - Nuclide Chart, Radioactivity and Nuclear Reactions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 359kB Mar11 11)
Nuclear energy worksheet -Investigating Plutonium Production (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.9MB Mar11 11)
Nuclear energy worksheet -The Alternative Thorium Fuel Cycle (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 520kB Mar11 11)
Nuclear energy worksheet - Nuclear Waste Storage Times (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 23kB Mar11 11)

Other materials

Nuclear Energy Resources for North Carolina Teachers - A collection of teaching activities and other materials, submitted by webinar participant Dana Haine

Nuclear Fission Simulation (more info) - A PhET simulation with companion activities

Recommended book: 'Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy' by Gwenth Cravens