
Welcome to the course and I am happy you're here!
Students will learn the best practices needed to learn effectively in this course.
Students will learn the fundamental vocabulary used by nuclear scientists and engineers and basic concepts about radiation.
Students will learn how nuclear fission and fusion works and how both processes produce energy.
Students will be introduced to the Chart of the Nuclides as a tool for navigating the list of known isotopes, stable and radioactive, and some physical properties associated with each isotope.
An overview is provided describing how radiation is used to diagnose and treat illnesses.
Students will learn how radiopharmaceuticals are used to diagnose illnesses in the human body.
Students will learn how radiation can be applied from outside the body to fight internal tumors.
Students will learn how radiation can be applied from inside the body to fight tumors. Content Warning: Medical illustrations are shown in the context of fighting prostate and breast cancer.
Students will be introduced to PET Scans, a diagnostic procedure used for cancer screening that uses radioisotopes.
An overview is provided for how nuclear power is used to generate electricity for land use, for propelling ships at sea, and for supporting space exploration missions.
Students will learn how the heat from nuclear reactors is converted into steam to spin turbines that power the electricity grid. Two different reactor types, the Boiling Water Reactor and Pressurized Water Reactor, will be compared to illustrate the difference in designs between reactor types.
Students will learn how nuclear power is used to propel vessels at sea and see similarities between the design of a nuclear power plant and a nuclear propulsion system.
Students will learn how RTG devices power space missions and what advanced reactor designs can be used to power long term missions for deep space travel and building a base on the surface of moons and planets.
Students will learn the appeal of Small Modular Reactors against the legacy nuclear plants of large size, and the appeal of floating nuclear power plants as a means to provide electricity to coastal populations.
An overview is provided for how nuclear weapons are made, how they work internally, and how nations have worked together to limit the spread of nuclear weapons technology.
Students will learn what uranium enrichment is and how plutonium is produced.
Students will learn about Gaseous Centrifuge technology used for uranium enrichment, and the implications associated with Iran enriching Uranium to 84%.
An overview is provided for learning about the contents and management of nuclear waste.
Students will learn some of the sources of nuclear waste, who is responsible for managing the waste in the United States, and how waste is categorized by policy and physical definitions.
Students will compare the logistics of managing nuclear waste against those with managing waste from fossil fuels.
Students will explore satellite imagery of Browns Ferry, Fukushima Daiichi, and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants to identify the location of spent nuclear fuel and emergency cooling water.
What comes to your mind when you hear "nuclear"? The finale of World War II? Toxic waste that lasts for generations? Perhaps its something more positive - such as life saving medicine, or reliable carbon-free power that could be a major asset to fighting climate change?
I've been working in the nuclear industry for over 3 years now, and I get questions all the time from friends and family who want to know what my work is about. Not just my job as a Nuclear Engineer, but about my career - why do we use nuclear technology and why is there so much conflicting information about it? These questions are what led to the creation of this course - a simple and easy to understand introduction to the exciting world of nuclear technology.
In this self paced reading course, you'll discover:
Why radiation exists and how we can control it to our benefit
What causes nuclear fission and nuclear fission, and why splitting and fusing atoms both produce energy
How nuclear power fights climate change without generating carbon emissions
How doctors and cancer patients fight tumors with brachytherapy radiation treatments
How nuclear propulsion powers the US Navy's submarines and aircraft carriers
Who manages nuclear waste in the United States and how they plan to dispose of it in the long term
Who prevents nuclear weapons from falling into the wrong hands
Each section also has a simple assignment for you to complete to see how nuclear technology impacts your community - interview a patient who received radiation therapy, check out a research reactor at a university near you, or look up historical records about how the press responded to a nuclear weapon test done in your country. A new world will open up to you once you see how radiation is everywhere and that society is using nuclear technology to help improve everyone's lives!
By the end of this course, you'll become familiar enough with nuclear technology and vocabulary that you'll no longer be afraid when you see "nuclear" or "radiation" in the news or in your favorite video games - you'll know exactly what is going on and can proceed with confidence in what you know!
"I'm not good with science, there's no way I could understand something as crazy advanced as nuclear technology!"
Worry not! I wrote this course to be accessible for everyone without any of the confusing mathematics my college programs put me through. Each lesson will have helpful images to explain what you are reading, and there is an even more simplified summary at the end so you will know what is important to take away from the reading. I've also provided additional video and reading resources for you to check out in case my own explanations are too much! Still not sure? Check out some of the free previews of the course I've provided - they are a good way to see if you'll enjoy the type of learning I use to teach the fundamentals.
My name is William Roysdon Murray, and I got hooked on nuclear technology as a 15 year old high school student. I want this course to give you the same spark of hope and inspiration I felt when nuclear fission was first explained to me in my sophomore year chemistry class - if a high school student can eventually become a Nuclear Engineer, so can you!