Labor Day is the traditional marking point for the end of summer-and time for back-to-school activities for K-12 students. Back to School season also provides an opportunity to help students understand the kind of work that nuclear engineers and scientists do. Your participation can interest a young person in pursuing an engineering career!

This past week, I had the privilege of participating in the Nuclear Technology Workshop for Teachers in Charlotte, N.C. The all-day event was part of the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC)/North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) Public Information Day, and it had a great turnout-about 50 area science teachers were in attendance.

During my undergraduate studies in art school, I created a body of artwork about micro-organisms. After taking my two required biology courses, I was completely obsessed with cyano-bacteria and diatoms (they are still a central theme in my home décor). Learning that every cell in my body has mitochondrial RNA identical to these ancient life forms floored me, and made me feel completely connected to the planet and all of the other life on it in a very concrete way.

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.

Hands-on activity during a November 2011 ANS teachers workshop

The American Nuclear Society's Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information and the ANS Outreach Department will sponsor a one-day teacher workshop on Saturday, June 23, in Chicago, Ill. The workshop-Detecting Radiation in Our Radioactive World-is for science educators, including elementary, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, physical science, life science, environmental, and general science teachers. The workshop will be held the day before the beginning of the ANS Annual Meeting in Chicago.

What is life going to be like after fossil fuels?

The 2012 Nuclear Energy Assembly wrapped up this Wednesday evening in Charlotte, NC.  The Nuclear Energy Assembly is the nuclear energy industry's annual conference, attracting leaders worldwide from all segments of the industry.

Ready for the next leap in your career? Who doesn't like extra letters after their name? Well then, why not get a Professional Engineer license?

This week's Nuclear Matinee takes a nostalgic look back to the dawn of the Atomic Age and an exciting new power source: "atomic energy."

ANSI strongly encourages all U.S. delegates to participate in international standardization meetings

Today's matinee is a foreign film feature: an excellent overview of the very basics of nuclear energy.

Decades of nuclear science in just two minutes! This dramatic video takes the viewer inside the world of atomic particles, describing a rather important difference between the encounters of alpha particles and neutrons when scientists direct them at heavy atomic nuclei. The scientist referred to in the video is Leo Szilard, who conceived the possibility of a nuclear "chain reaction" among many other important scientific achievements. This nuclear chain reaction is quite a ride- so enjoy!

The 4^th annual Texas Atomic Film Festival (TAFF) is being held April 26 to May 3, 2012. The festival attracts short films (3 to 5 minutes) produced by students in nuclear engineering courses at the University of Texas at Austin. A public screening of the films, which focus on nuclear and energy related topics, is being held on April 26 at 12:30 pm at the UT Student Activities Center auditorium.

This evening there will be a debate on a nuclear referendum that is on the town ballot in Plymouth, Mass. The referendum calls for a halt to relicensing the Pilgrim nuclear power plant, pending implementation of Fukushima lessons learned.

The American Nuclear Society will be participating this weekend in the largest celebration of science in the United States: the 2nd annual USA Science & Engineering Festival.  The finale Expo of the festival will be Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.

The 2012 ANS Student Conference in Las Vegas wrapped up last weekend.  Thanks to all attendees and to the host University of Nevada Las Vegas Student Section of the American Nuclear Society for making the event such a success!  News coverage of the conference from ABC TV Channel 13 KTNV:

The Nuclear Literacy Project is a new website and outreach initiative geared toward reaching young, non-technical audiences with information about nuclear energy. You can check out the site at http://www.nuclearliteracy.org/.

A triple feature for your viewing pleasure! Here we go:

American Nuclear Society President Eric Loewen visited the ANS student section at the University of Illinois on Tuesday, March 27, followed by dinner with the Central Illinois ANS local section. This event was part of Loewen's "March Madness" speaking tour, building toward the 2012 ANS Student Conference (which begins today in Las Vegas).  The occasion gave ANS Nuclear Cafe a chance to catch up with Valentyn Bykov, president of the ANS student section at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to discuss the section and its activities.