Students from across Ohio joined Energy Department staff for a hands-on learning experience at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
October 9, 2012
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Nearly 1,000 high school juniors flooded the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County, Ohio, last week to attend the two-day Science Alliance.
Hosted by the Energy Department, the third annual event allowed students to play the Cleanup Time Warp to learn more about the site’s history and mission, test their skills with miniature tabletop loading equipment, handle materials inside of a glove box and learn the proper way to use a fire extinguisher. The scientific demonstrations, games and interactive displays represented subject areas ranging from ecology, communications, emergency preparedness, earthquakes, engineering and math. Prizes were awarded for correct answers to pop quizzes given at the demonstrations. In addition, guests were taken on a tour of the site.
The teens and their teachers, who arrived from 20 regional schools, received a great hands-on lesson about important career opportunities in science and technology. In addition to Energy Department staff, Science Alliance participants included Ohio University, Shawnee State University, the Portsmouth Site Specific Advisory Board, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Fluor-B&W/Portsmouth, Wastren Advantage, Inc., Restoration Services, Inc., B&W Conversion Services, LLC, and USEC Inc.’s American Centrifuge.
Check out a photo slideshow of the event above.