Actinide Science at Notre Dame
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 and challenges facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine during the war with Russia. 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.