While I was unable to attend the field trip to the MIT Nuclear Laboratory (MIT-NRL), I was able to take a lot of interesting knowledge away from reading students online blogs and reading MIUT blog online. While reading these different outlets I discovered that MIT-NRL is the second largest university research (fission) reactor in the United States and the only one where students are able to get a hands on experience with the development and implementation of nuclear engineering. Moreover, its fission reactor is the fourth oldest operating reactor in the country.

The primary responsibility of MIT-NRL is to produce neutrons for learning and experimental situations for research projects and students. For instance these neutrons have been used in research areas such as nuclear fission engineering, material science, radiation effects in biology and medicine, neutron physics, geochemistry, and environmental studies. One more specific example is the work they have done in the neutron activation analysis used for the study of autism. I personally find this genre interesting as I have a close family friend with autism. While MIT-NRL is mainly available for research studies within MIT it is also open to outside sources including high school students; allowing for positive knowledge to reach the younger generation, hopefully in turn, allowing Nuclear to get a cleaner image.

As I wish I was able to attend this trip, I was able to find an interesting fact on another webpage where the author was presented with the opportunity to look into this amazing fission reactor after the 10-ton lid was removed where they could see the core where highly enriched uranium fissions were expose releasing a bright blue color. This only happens every several months. Something I feel would have been extremely memorizing, and not to mention the 10-ton lid that protects these reactors. Just some food for thought, well that’s a wrap on Cambridge’s little nuke!