Principal Investigator
Prof. Anne White, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Fund:
Alumni Class Funds
Funding Period:
AY2018
Department/Lab/Center:
Nuclear Science & Engineering
Plasma physics and fusion energy are topics that enthrall our undergraduates, yet are not covered experimentally in any of our currently offered courses. With the support of the Alumni Class Fund, we propose to introduce laboratory activities in a range of undergraduate classes offered in Engineering and Science at MIT. These laboratory activities will be enabled by the construction of a table-‐top, portable, “fusion device” aimed at analyzing and quantifying basic plasma properties and nuclear properties using state-‐of-‐the-‐art instrumentation. We aim to provide students with a hands-‐on-‐tool to promote active learning about the practically intangible plasma state of matter both in the classroom, and as part of a pioneering new concept – a Nuclear Makerspace.