# Presentation: 193980

## The Original Harnessed Atom
Science educational curriculum developed 20 years ago by DOE Office of Nuclear Energy for junior high classrooms 
Includes a Teacher’s Guide, Student Reader, experiments and activities, and a video in mini-CD format (originally a filmstrip)
Though designed for junior-high age students, it tested successfully on non-science major students through Junior College level
10,000 classroom sets produced by DOE

**The Original Harnessed Atom**
- Science educational curriculum developed 20 years ago by DOE Office of Nuclear Energy for junior high classrooms
- Includes a Teacher’s Guide, Student Reader, experiments and activities, and a video in mini-CD format (originally a filmstrip)
- Though designed for junior-high age students, it tested successfully on non-science major students through Junior College level
- 10,000 classroom sets produced by DOE

- The Harnessed Atom*  **High School Honors Edition*

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- The Harnessed Atom’s History
- Used by over 1.5 million students and translated into at least 4 foreign languages
- Recommended or promoted by leading teacher associations—NSTA, ASCD, NEA
- Called “the gold standard” in nuclear educational material by ANS PA staff
- Widely reprinted by utilities, school systems, private sector, and other countries

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- What teachers told us
- Students are being short-changed on essential information about nuclear science, health physics, and engineering
- In major textbooks, still presented inaccurately or in biased language
- Often skimmed over or not taught at all in high school physics classes
- Many teachers feel ill-prepared to teach topic and do not have good classroom materials
***Need a high school version***

**Typical high school physics does not include nuclear science**
- One Dimensional Motion
- Projectile Motion
- Forces
- Momentum
- Work-Energy
- Planetary Motion
- Electricity
- Magnetism
- Waves (water, sound, light)
- Optics
- Relativity

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- Now, a Re-designed High School Curriculum...
- For advanced students grades 11-12
- Updated content and format
- Worked with public school classroom teachers to review and validate through Pilot Test of the curriculum
- ’07-’08 Field Test of a revised edition in 5 regions across the U.S.
- Afterwards, distribute curriculum nationally in partnership with Labs, academic institutions, public and private sector

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- The Curriculum...
- Increases awareness at the pre-college level for students interested in sciences and engineering, nuclear engineering, and health physics
- Helps high school students make more informed choices about college majors and career options
- Supports Department of Energy mission to foster education and understanding of energy technologies and options

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- This partnership is important
- Connects public school educators, professional societies, DOE, research facilities, and  private sector to strengthen the teaching of nuclear science
- Helps students to become informed decision-makers on energy issues and policy as they become adult citizens
-  Perhaps most importantly: expands students’ awareness of choices for college majors that they might overlook, including exciting career options in the nuclear engineering, nuclear medicine, health physics, research, and engineering

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- What we hope the revised *Harnessed Atom* will accomplish in classrooms
- Strengthen teaching of fundamental nuclear science concepts
- Provide critical thinking experiences for students
- Teach basic science of energy production, thermodynamics, radiation, nuclear reactions, and nuclear energy
- Provide clear, unbiased information on nuclear topics

## 10 Days, 10 Chapters

- Generating Electricity
- Atoms and Isotopes
- Radiation
- Nuclear Reactions
- Nuclear power
- By-products and Waste
- Risk and Probability
- Energy Decision-making
- Review

- Experiments with radioactive material teach an important lesson: These materials can and must be handled safely
- Geiger counters and background radiation
- Handling sources including gas light mantles, uranium ore, luminous watches, smoke detectors

- Cloud Chamber Trails
*Indirect observation of subatomic particles: *
*seeing is believing*

## Walking around Penn State 

- after the tour of the reactor
- Mr. Mario Iasella, AP Physics, Pittsburgh Public Schools

- “Ben was extremely excited and said ‘Mr. Iasella, you’ve messed everything up!  I  was planning to travel, take off  from school, but this stuff is really cool.  I want to know how it all works! I never would have though I would have liked physics in the beginning of school.’”

- “Teachers don’t know what topics would light a fire for individual students. These 2 students are going to Penn State in nuclear engineering.  Without this unit, they would never have considered it.

*“**2 out of 70* at Schenley High School
- Seems small?  Typically only 2-5 would even consider engineering or science.”

## The Harnessed Atom   High School Honors Edition

- This is a partnership where everyone wins
- Strengthens teaching of fundamental nuclear science concepts at the high school level
- Industry and academic institutions benefit because students are better prepared
- Teachers gain valuable teaching resources
- Students gain knowledge of nuclear science, energy technology, and of career options that will help them far beyond high school