In this activity intended to develop thinking and writing skills secondary students are given a worksheet dealing with either nuclear energy or the Civil War. On the worksheet the order of items is scrambled. Students must organize the information, decide what is important, and write an essay on the topic. (RM)

Examines various types of software useful in teaching about nuclear energy. Includes a list of 11 software resources (including program name, source and cost, system requirements, and brief comments about the program). (JN)

Discusses how human cultural and personal values relate to scientific practice (and indirectly to results of that practice), considering interferon, biological risk assessment, plutonium, and sex hormones. Also discusses the significance of these episodes in understanding the (contextual) value-freedom of science. (JN)

Presents new evidence to show that nuclear radiation is associated with impaired cognitive functions. Links changing levels of radiation from U.S. nuclear bomb testing to the long decline--and now the beginnings of a rise--in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. (Author/RW)

Stresses the importance of energy education and discusses various aspects of and trends related to energy in the United States. These include energy costs, recession and energy conservation, the nuclear debate, environmental concerns (including acid rain), solar energy, technological developments, energy policy/politics, and projection of energy…

Current and post World War II scientific research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico) is discussed. The operation of the laboratory, the Los Alamos consultant program, and continuation education, and continuing education activities at the laboratory are also discussed. (JN)

Energy education is a new field which should focus on an effort to bring together teachers, school officials, and parent groups with the objective of helping children understand the current international energy situation. Past, present, and future energy education strategies are discussed. (JN)

Recommends that simulation games be used to teach high school students in social studies courses about contemporary and controversial issues such as nuclear power. A simulation is described which involves students in deciding whether to build a nuclear power plant in the California desert. Teaching and debriefing tips are also provided. (DB)

Discusses the problems encountered at the Duquesne Light Company of Pittsburgh's nuclear power plant as the result of an inability to process information effectively and keep pace with technological change. The creation of a separate division trained and directed to manage the plant's information flows is described and evaluated. (CLB)

Canadian Safeguards Support Program established performance-based training for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. The approach is based on actual tasks performed on the job, the most efficient and effective means of achieving the highest performance in situations with complex training requirements. (SK)

Reports a study designed to investigate the relationship between nuclear knowledge and nuclear attitudes and to the understanding of Science-Technology-Society attitudes involving technological attitude objects. Principal finding was that nuclear knowledge and nuclear attitude each can be changed independently of the other. Although knowledge and…

Uses the teaching method of models or analogies, specifically the model called "Piekara's chair," to show how teaching classical mechanics can familiarize students with the notion of energy levels in atomic physics. (MDH)

Public relations issues arising from the University of Utah's controversial announcement of research claiming achievement of nuclear fusion at room temperature are discussed. They include problems occurring before and after the initial press conference, secrecy vs. openness, research ethics, and effects lasting past the original incident and…

Nuclear power was considered vital to humanity's future until just a short time ago. Since the late seventies, economic viability has joined a list of such issues as waste disposal and radiation hazards which call into question the future of nuclear power. This document discusses (in separate sections): (1) the selling of nuclear power, including…

A number of laboratory studies have addressed the question of how people integrate different pieces of information to form an overall evaluative judgment. Models of information integration, i.e., the adding model and the averaging model, were tested by gathering questionnaire data from 233 respondents in 17 groups who were expected to vary in…