A public culture of fear and uncertainty surrounds nuclear energy, and this perception has only increased in recent years due to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi. Dr. Hixon has a strong commitment to enhancing K-12 education related to nuclear energy in order to challenge these perceptions.
Activities the Dr. Hixon and her group have been involved in include:
- Science Alive!, an annual event hosted by the St. Joseph County Public Library that includes hands-on demonstrations for people of all ages.
- Art-2-Science summer camp run through the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics at Notre Dame
- Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) through the Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame (ND Energy)
- Penn High School TEAMS, an annual competition for middle and high school students designed to help them discover their potential for engineering.
Actinide Science at Notre Dame