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November is a great time to help students who are interested in nuclear science careers. ANS has a number of resources for career exploration on our NuclearConnect.org website, including career descriptions and the latest version of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Education Sourcebook. Created by ANS and the U.S. Department of Energy, the Sourcebook lists universities across the country that have active nuclear programs. Winter break might be an ideal time for a college visit or two. ANS also offers scholarships for incoming freshmen. Read on to learn how to encourage your students interested in nuclear careers. Also in this issue, we’re highlighting your colleagues who won classroom materials in our Nuclear Science Week “Tweet to Win” contest and at our latest national teacher workshop.
November 14, 2017 • Volume 42
Ideas and inspiration for teaching nuclear science
Students in grades six through eight may not be planning college visits quite yet, but many are already thinking about their future careers. For students interested in the STEM fields, nuclear science offers a broad range of career choices. Some require advanced degrees; others may require only a high-school diploma. Currently, demand exceeds the supply of graduates trained in nuclear science and technology, so the next generation of experts is in your classroom today.
Middle school is an ideal time to begin preparing your students for careers in nuclear science because all fields require a strong background in the STEM subjects. The wide range of applications for nuclear science degrees goes beyond nuclear power and includes everything from medical science, space exploration, the military, industry, homeland security, and even agriculture.
To enter the nuclear field as a scientist or engineer, students need at least a bachelor’s degree. Some positions—such as researchers—require at least a master’s degree. Radiological physicians must attend medical school. There are challenging, lucrative careers that require just an associate’s degree, such as radiation technologists. Nuclear reactor operators may join the field with a high school diploma, but will need further training to pass the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing exam.
Finally, the United States military offers a number of paths leading to work in nuclear fields. The U.S. Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy need engineers and technicians for a wide variety of positions, and the service branches provide training at some of the best colleges in the nation.
Students can find a complete list of universities offering nuclear engineering degree programs on ANS’s Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information website nuclearconnect.org.
Deciding what and where to study are just two of the many hurdles on the path to a college education, but financing that degree is undoubtedly the biggest. With tuition and other costs climbing faster than the cost of living, students and their families need all the assistance they can get.
ANS offers two scholarships available to incoming freshmen. The ANS Incoming Freshman Scholarship of $1,000 is awarded to graduating high-school seniors who have enrolled full-time in college courses and are pursuing a degree in nuclear engineering or have the intent to pursue a degree in nuclear engineering. Four scholarships are awarded each year. The application deadline is April 1, 2018.
The $2,000 Hans P. Loewen Scholarship was established in 2014 in memory of the son of one of ANS’s past presidents. Only one scholarship is awarded annually to a college freshman or sophomore who has enrolled full-time in college courses and is pursuing a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math. Deadline for application is February 1, 2018.
Complete requirements and a list of all ANS scholarships are available on our website.
In October, ANS awarded more than 25 of our most popular classroom materials—Geiger-Müller meters, cloud chambers, and Isotope Discovery Kits – to teachers through the Nuclear Science Week Tweet to Win Twitter contest and our October 28 teacher workshop, Detecting Radiation in our Radioactive World.
During Nuclear Science Week October 15 -21, ANS asked teachers to tweet pictures of their classes’ nuclear-related activities. The teacher posting the most photos was @ms_truemper, who won a Geiger-Müller meter; and runner-up @CHSAHSPhysics won a cloud chamber kit. Don’t miss your chance to win in 2018 when Nuclear Science Week is held October 14-20.
Teachers from as far away as Delaware and Pennsylvania came to the ANS teacher workshop in Washington, D.C. They had an opportunity to interact with professors and leading professionals in nuclear science and technology fields, including a member of ANS’s board of directors and a past ANS president. Thanks to a generous donation from Southern Nuclear, each teacher received a Geiger-Müller meter, a cloud chamber kit, and a number of radioactive sources. In addition, two lucky teachers left with an ANS Isotope Discovery Kit, which is available only through ANS and priced at more than $500.
ANS conducts the Detecting Radiation in our Radioactive World workshop twice each year. The next workshop will be held June 16, 2018, at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown. Registration will open early next year. We’ll send our ReActions subscribers full details as soon as they are available.
Detecting Radiation in our Radioactive World June 16, 2018 Philadelphia, Pa. Look for registration information early 2018!
Join ANS for a fun, full-day exploration of nuclear and radiation science. Participants take home a FREE Geiger counter for use in their classrooms. Thanks to a generous donation from Southern Nuclear, participants will also receive a cloud chamber kit, classroom-safe radiation sources, and other materials as well as the opportunity to win an Isotope Discovery Kit, valued at more than $580. Leave prepared to engage your students in learning about nuclear science and radiation.
Sign up for ReActions™, the e-newsletter for educators that offers teaching ideas about nuclear science and technology. It is published by the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information, an initiative of the American Nuclear Society, between September and May.Sign Up
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