Nuclear Energy

Foundations of Science and Technology Course

North Attleborough Schools

What is Nuclear Energy?     

Electricity Production    

Nuclear Waste   

Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy   

Web Quests

Games/Labs

Further Readings/Resources

What is Nuclear Energy?   

Nuclear Energy Tomorrow: Nuclear energy has its good side and its bad side, depending on how the user works with this material, the good and the bad can vary.

Nuclear Fission: Nuclear Fission is the process involved to produce an atomic bomb.

Nuclear Fusion: Fusion can generate energy from un-radioactive materials such as hydrogen.

Radiation and Life: Radiation is energy traveling through space. Sunshine is one of the most familiar forms of radiation.

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Electricity Production  

Power Plants: Whether fossil fuel or nuclear, power plants produce electricity much the same way - by heating water to make steam, which drives a turbine and electric generator.

Why Uranium?: Uranium is abundant and the best deposits are distributed throughout six countries.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Like coal, oil and natural gas, uranium is an energy resource which must be processed through a series of steps to produce an efficient fuel for use in the generation of electricity.

Co-Discoverer of Plutonium Interview: Glenn Seaborg was a Nobel Laureate and one of the founding fathers of the atomic age. He was co-discoverer of plutonium and later served as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

World's Nuclear Power Reactors: Chart of World Nuclear Reactors for 1999-2001 and the uranium requirements.

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Nuclear Waste

Fact Sheet: What is Nuclear Fuel and Waste?: Nuclear fuel is made of solid pellets that contain enriched uranium.

Radioactive Waste Management: Nuclear power is the only energy industry which takes full responsibility for all its wastes, and costs this into the product.

Waste That Won't Go Away: Debate still surrounds a permanent solution for storage of Nuclear Waste from ABC News.com.

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Developments: News articles compiled from About.com.

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Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy  

Interview with Allan Schriesheim: Presently Director Emeritus of Argonne National Laboratory.  Argonne National Laboratory is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's largest research centers.

Interview with Dave Craft: Director of Nuclear Energy Information Services.  They are the watch dog of nuclear power plants.

Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power: Nuclear power has many advantages, but there are also some risks associated with it according to this student.

Competitiveness of Nuclear Power (Part One): Nuclear power can meet the base of demand for electricity.

Competitiveness of Nuclear Power (Part Two): Besides its competitive cost, nuclear power has benefits in terms of impact on the environment, energy self-sufficiency and jobs.

Chernobyl: On 26 April, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power station, in Ukraine, suffered a major accident which was followed by a prolonged release to the atmosphere of large quantities of radioactive substances.

Chernobyl: Wildlife Follow-up: Serious long-term genetic consequences are evident in the wildlife near the site of the world's worst nuclear reactor disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

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Web Quests  

Nuclear Power:  Is It Safe? Is It The Best? Is It Wise?: The year is 2066. The population in our area has grown from 1.5 million at the beginning of the century to 5 million residents. As we look back sixty years ago we see that some major decisions made back then have made our lifestyles and comfort level what they are today.

Nuclear Power In Seaside, CA: Last year, a major manufacturing company in Seaside, California closed its operations. Four thousand jobs were lost and the once prosperous town of Seaside quickly slipped into recession. In an effort to revive the economy in Seaside, a group of concerned citizens has lobbied the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and convinced them that Seaside would be an ideal location for California's next nuclear power plant.

Energy Resource WebQuest: You have been assigned by the head of your Energy Resource Company to participate in the great energy debate. A new housing development is in the works, and the developer is trying to decide if it should receive energy from solar power or nuclear power. It is your job to defend your company's position on why that source of energy should be used for the new development.

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Games/Labs  

Nuclear Energy Word Searches: Four different games, Concentration, Matching, Word Search, and Flash Cards.

Finding Energy Resources: Energy game

Simulate Radioactive Decay: Understand half-life and its use in determining the age of materials.

Radioactive Reindeer: The first reports after Chernobyl suggested that Lapland reindeer meat could not be consumed for 40 years (estimates based on the half-life of Cs-137).

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FEMA Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Fact Sheet: Since 1980, each utility that owns a commercial nuclear power plant in the United States has been required to have both an onsite and offsite emergency response plan as a condition of obtaining and maintaining a license to operate that plant.

Frontline Nuclear Reaction: Articles answering the question, "Why  Americans fear Nuclear Power"?.

The Dawn of The Nuclear Age: One hundred years ago, a group of scientists unknowingly ushered in the Atomic Age.

Nuclear Returns From The Dead: Forty years ago, it was hyped as "too cheap to meter," and more than 400 nuclear electric generators were built around the world. 

Glossary of Nuclear Terms: The following is a list of terms which are commonly used in discussion of the uranium industry and the nuclear fuel cycle.

Uranium's Scientific History: The story starts at the beginning of the sixteenth century in the unexplored mountainous region separating Bohemia from Saxony.

Before It's Too Late: Recommended reading by Dr. Bernard Cohen, a physics professor at the University of

Questions and Answers: This page is maintained by the University of Missouri-Rolla American Nuclear Society.

Albert Einstein: Einstein did not receive much formal education. Therefore his mind was basically free from conditioning, and he was able to do much original thinking.

Madam Curie and The Science of Radioactivity: She is best known as the discoverer of the radioactive elements polonium and radium and as the first person to win two Nobel prizes.

Glenn Seaborg: This website chronicles the monumental life of Glenn Seaborg. Seaborg died February 25, 1999, at the age of 86.

Nuclear Energy and Society: Only 30 years ago, nuclear energy was an exotic, futuristic technology, the subject of experimentation and far fetched ideas. Today, nuclear energy is America's second largest source of electric power after coal.

Radiation: How Harmful?: Lessons of Hiroshima and Chernobyl from The WhyFiles.

Chernobyl Revisited: Listen to "Chernobyl Revisited" with RealAudio 1.0 or RealAudio 2.0 .  The script is also included.