Critical Path to Nuclear Science and Technology Knowledge Transfer and Skill Development in K-12 Schools: Why America Needs Action and Support from Federal and State Education Departments Now
- Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Penn State University, 342 Leonhard Building, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
- Bald Eagle High School, 751 South Eagle Valley Road, Wingate, PA 16823 (United States)
With the signing of President Bush's energy bill in August of 2005, the successful application of the new energy legislation may have more to do with educational standards required in our schools than applications of research and technology in the long-term. Looking inside the new legislation, the future of that legislation's success may not just hinge on investment in technology, but ensuring that our citizens, especially our youth, are prepared and better informed to be able to understand, react, and apply the economically and national security driven intent of the law. How can our citizens make sense of change if they lack the skills to be able to understand, not only the technology, but also the science that drives the change? President Bush's passage of the 1,724-page bill emphasizes conservation, clean energy research, and new and improved technology. The legislation also provides for economic incentives toward building more nuclear power plants. This paper will use four questions as a focal point to emphasize the need for both state and federal education departments to review their current standards and respond to deficiencies regarding learning about radioactivity, radiation, and nuclear science and technology. The questions are: 1. Will America accept new nuclear power development? 2. Will waste issues be resolved concerning high- and low-level radioactive waste management and disposal? 3. Will nuclear 'anything' be politically correct when it comes to your backyard? 4. Is our youth adequately educated and informed about radioactivity, radiation, and nuclear science and technology? This paper will use Pennsylvania as a case study to better understand the implications and importance of the educational standards in our school systems. This paper will also show how the deficiency found in Pennsylvania's academic standards, and in other states, has a significant impact on the ability to fulfill the legislation's intent of realizing energy independence and national security. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, Inc., PO Box 13023, Tucson, AZ, 85732-3023 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21208616
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-06114; TRN: US09V0927079403
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste Management 2006 Symposium - WM'06 - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 26 Feb - 2 Mar 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 14 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Expanding Outreach Efforts by Developing Community Advisory Councils - 12233
Power politics