President's ColumnThe value of “fluffy” stuffANS NewsDecember 16, 2020, 9:23AM|Mary Lou Dunzik-GougarMary Lou Dunzik-GougarYou know the old saying that those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach? Well, I say anyone thinking that way should be kept far away from students!In my time at Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, I worked with incredible scientists and engineers doing cutting-edge research. Unfortunately, making progress in research is not always conducive to the education and training of those who haven’t yet gained the necessary expertise. And there is an interesting phenomenon that occurs the more one gains in education and experience: We tend to forget what we were like before, what it was like not to know everything we do now. More than one of my PhD colleagues at the national labs dismissed the education and outreach efforts that I pursued in my spare time: scouts, K-12 classroom visits, teacher workshops, science expos, etc., viewing any focus other than the truly technical as just “fluffy” and a waste of valuable time and effort.Go to ArticleTags:anldiscovery educationdoeeducationengineersinlk-12navigating nuclearscientiststeachingShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Giving Tuesday: Bringing nuclear to every classroomANS NewsNovember 30, 2020, 9:51PM|ANS StaffGiving Tuesday is a nationwide day of giving back to the not-for-profit community. For Giving Tuesday, the American Nuclear Society is on a mission–jumpstart funding for a special initiative, Nuclear in Every Classroom. This landmark effort helps ensure nuclear science and technology crosses the desks – virtual or in-person – of every k-12 student and teacher in the nation. The initiative builds upon the success of Navigating Nuclear: Energizing Our World, the ANS partnership with Discovery Education that has reached over 1.3 million students.ExpandTags:discovery educatione-learninggiving tuesdaynavigating nuclearnuclear in every classroomvirtual classroomShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Elementary school resources added to Navigating NuclearANS NewsEducationOctober 21, 2020, 3:00PM|ANS News StaffElementary school lesson plans are the latest additions to the Navigating Nuclear: Energizing Our World website. The two lesson plans were created to help students in grades 3-5 understand the power of the atom and how to investigate different energy sources.Navigating Nuclear is a K-12 nuclear science and energy curriculum created in partnership by the American Nuclear Society and Discovery Education, with lead funding from the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy.ExpandTags:educationelementary educationnavigating nuclearShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Nuclear in K-12 education: Overview of ANS toolkit and reflections from educatorsANS NewsEducationOctober 21, 2020, 6:56AM|ANS News StaffA free webinar today from 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (EDT) will look at the resources that the American Nuclear Society has developed with Discovery Education and the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy to help K-12 educators teach nuclear science and technology.The webinar will begin with an overview of the resources, followed by reflections and commentary from three educators of various grade levels on their experiences teaching nuclear science and their thoughts about ANS’s instructional materials. The webinar will conclude with a Q&A session with the panelists.Registration is required for this Nuclear Science Week event.ExpandTags:discovery educationdoeeducatorsk-12navigating nuclearnuclear science weekoffice of sciencewebinarShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
ANS celebrates Nuclear Science Week with social media campaign, new RIPB webpageANS NewsEducationOctober 19, 2020, 12:48PM|ANS News StaffThe nuclear industry has embraced the risk-informed and performance-based (RIPB) decision-making process over the past two decades. Still, it remains a complex concept to explain in lay terms.With that in mind, the American Nuclear Society will be kicking off an RIPB awareness social media campaign as part of Nuclear Science Week 2020, which begins today and runs through Friday. The campaign will link decision making to everyday events in a person's life and feature a series of images and seemingly easy questions requiring a choice to be made. For example, ANS asks, “Would you get rid of your car if the radio didn’t work?” or “Would you toss a lamp if the shade was dirty?”ExpandTags:ans newsinlnavigating nuclearnuclear science weekrisk informed performance basedShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Navigating Nuclear: Bringing it homeANS NewsEducationMay 26, 2020, 11:03AM|ANS News StaffAmerican Nuclear Society members who are parenting K–12 students have been drafted to serve as home educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. While schools may have provided e-learning resources, the school year is at an end. How can concerned parents prevent the dreaded summer slide?Here’s our suggestion: turn to Navigating Nuclear: Energizing Our World, ANS’s K–12 curriculum developed in partnership with Discovery Education, and teach nuclear chemistry! Even if you live apart from the children in your life, consider using Zoom to introduce Navigating Nuclear to children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.ExpandTags:k-12 educationnavigating nuclearonline resourcesShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
ANS is your nuclear resource during COVID-19ANS NewsApril 14, 2020, 2:54PM|Updated April 23, 2020, 9:12AM|ANS News StaffThis story was updated on April 29 with details about the ANS Annual Meeting.The American Nuclear Society remains committed to serving the needs of the nuclear community even as the COVID-19 pandemic affects how we all communicate. Read on to learn more about the timely content that ANS is delivering to fit the way you live and work today.ExpandTags:ans operationscoronaviruscovid-19educationk-12 educationnavigating nuclearShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Navigating Nuclear takes high school students on virtual field trip to INLANS NewsEducationMarch 11, 2020, 11:40AM|ANS News StaffWhen Navigating Nuclear’s latest virtual field trip (VFT) debuted online in February during Engineers Week, students in classrooms around the country learned about nuclear advancements happening right now at Idaho National Laboratory, on technologies including advanced reactors, TRISO fuel, and space power systems. The video, titled “Nuclear Reimagined,” highlights diverse applications of nuclear technology and career opportunities in the nuclear sector and puts a spotlight on the work of ANS members Heather Chichester, Paul Demkowicz, and Stephen Johnson at INL.ExpandTags:k-12 educationnavigating nuclearonline resourcesoutreachShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
High school students become “decay detectives”ANS NewsEducationMarch 9, 2020, 2:37PM|ANS News StaffLesson plans for middle school and high school students make up only one part of the compelling nuclear science education resources that Navigating Nuclear offers for today’s classrooms. ANS’s K–12 curriculum reaches students with virtual field trips (see article that begins on page 1), career resources, and STEM project starters to get students excited about nuclear science and its applications.ExpandTags:k-12 educationnavigating nuclearonline resourcesoutreachShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Show Engineering Love During EWeek, February 17-23ANS Nuclear CafeFebruary 11, 2019, 6:39PM|Janice LindegardFounded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, Engineers Week (EWeek), is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing interest in engineering and technology careers. This year, consider bringing an engineer into your plans.Go to ArticleTags:aerospaceaerospace nuclearamerican nuclear societyans local sectionsans young members groupcareers in nucleareducationengineeringengineers weekenvironmental benefits of nuclearjanice lindegardk-12national engineers weeknational nuclear science weeknavigating nuclearnuclearnuclear energyphysicsprofessional engineersscience & engineering educationstem educationusa science & engineering festivalShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Nuclear Medicine Radiates Hope For PatientsANS Nuclear CafeNovember 5, 2018, 3:06PM|Emma MeyersAs a fourth year nursing student working in Chicago area hospitals, I deal with nuclear medicine quite often. The term "nuclear medicine" can sound disconcerting, but when you are familiar with it, I assure you, it's not. Just think of it as a bunch of necessary medical tools with a little radiation thrown in. I know what you are thinking. Radiation? What? Relax. It's fine. You already know it, and either you, or someone you know, has been exposed to this specific area of medicine via certain procedures.Go to ArticleTags:american nuclear societyannual meetingans nuclear cafeans winter meeting and expocancercat scanct scancurieemma meyersisotopesloyolaloyola university chicagolymphomanavigating nuclearnuclearnuclear medicinenuclear newsnuclear pioneersnuclearmedicinepet scanradiationradiation therapyShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
National Nuclear Science Week 2018 Kicks OffANS Nuclear CafeOctober 15, 2018, 2:00PM|ANS Nuclear CafeThis week is National Nuclear Science Week - an exciting week of learning, teaching and interacting on all things nuclear-related. (You can read about the history of National Nuclear Science Week, or NNSW, by following this link.)Go to ArticleTags:educationenergyenvironmental benefits of nuclearfamous scientistirradiationisotopesk-12marie curienational engineers weeknational laboratoriesnational nuclear science weeknavigating nuclearnuclearnuclear educationnuclear historynuclear newsnuclear pioneersnuclear science weeknuclear technologyphysicsradiationscience & engineering educationusa science & engineering festivalShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Navigating Nuclear with Bob Fine and Dr. Eric LoewenANS Nuclear CafeOctober 3, 2018, 8:01PM|Douglas HardtmayerOn Episode 12 of RadioNuclear, we discuss how fear-mongering stories about nuclear power plants in the path of a hurricane are irrelevant, the Oyster Creek Shutdown, and lastly, how nuclear power should be used geopolitically.Go to ArticleTags:aerospaceamerican nuclear societyannual meetingans local sectionsans publicationsans student sectionsans winter meeting and expoans young members groupauthorsbiology and medicinecareers in nuclearcenter for nuclear science & technology informationdoug hardtmayerdr. eric loeweneducationenergyengineeringenvironmental benefits of nuclearfusion science and technologyhardtmayerk-12mpr associatesnasanational engineers weeknational nuclear science weeknavigating nuclearnavigatingnuclear.comnuclearnuclear connectnuclear energynuclear literacy projectnuclear newsnuclear science and engineering journalnuclear technologynuclearconnectohio stateoyster creekphysicspodcastradiationradio nuclearradionuclearradwaste solutionsrobert c. finescience & engineering educationspace applicationsstem edstem educationstemedunited statesusa science & engineering festivalShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook