Physics/Engineering: Nuclear Energy – From Physics To Power With Dr Thomas Haynes From University of East Anglia

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In this Physics/Engineering session, Dr Thomas Haynes, Lecturer in Nuclear Engineering in the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics at University of East Anglia, will run an interactive talk for students on Nuclear Energy – From Physics To Power.

Nuclear power is undergoing a renaissance with several multi-billion pound projects underway in the UK, all of which aim to help achieve our net-zero targets. We’ll take a brief tour of the fundamentals of nuclear energy, covering:

• Essentials of nuclear fission – how do we get energy out of the nucleus?
• The fate of a neutron – what happens to the neutrons not causing another fission?
• The need for a moderator – how moderators help obtain power from low enrichment fuel.
• Feedback mechanisms within the reactor – what happens when a reactor’s power changes.
• The challenges in future reactor designs, including high temperature reactors and fusion.

Lecturer Profile: Dr Thomas Haynes

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Age 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Engineering, Physics and related disciplines. Student groups as well as students and teachers joining individually are very welcome.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the topic in advance and questions they have. Students can also think about questions about studying at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the speaker via typed comments and questions and/or via a microphone. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

Register here