The MIT Lab tour consisted of a lecture and the tour of MIT’s research nuclear reactor.  When we got to MIT for the lab tour the first thing we did was attend a lecture.

The lecture gave us a background of the history of MIT’s nuclear reactor facility as well as how the reactor worked and the experiments that have been conducted.  An interesting part of the lecture was learning more about the process of fission, which is the reaction that produces the energy in nuclear reaction.  In basic terms, fission is the process of splitting an atom.  Uranium is an unstable atom.  In a nuclear reactor neurons are shot at uranium atoms and when they collide the uranium atom splits, releasing energy and more neurons.  These neutrons hit other uranium atoms and the process continues in a chain reaction.  Since uranium has the characteristic of being very efficient the fuel can continue this reaction for days on end.  I believe at the lecture we were told that the longest period of time that the reactor ran continuously was around 2 months.  

Information on MIT’s nuclear reactor website reveals interesting experiments that were conducted through their reactor.  Examples of experiments that MIT is involved in include areas in fuel research, trace element analysis, isotope production, and neutron scattering.

Unfortunately, after viewing the lecture I was unable to go on the tour of the reactor.  Background screening are conducted to be granted access to go on the tour due to MIT’s policy because of their affiliation with government research.  Although I provided them the necessary information prior to going to MIT, they wouldn’t accept any of the multiple forms of identification I provided since they didn’t include my date of birth.