Touring the lab was pretty cool, being given a way to measure the radation we were exposed to was also cool. Going through all the safety checks and seeing how much work goes into keeping people safe was very comforting. I was surprised to find that the reactor existed for non-violent purposes and research instead of electricity generation. The multiple safety nets in place, both electrical and manual was also a comfort, really setting in the importance of safety was awesome.
The core is made up of 27 positions. There are six blades surrounding the core and will drop in less than half a second if an alarm is ever sounded. The awesome part about the blades and magnet is that if there is ever an alarm or malfunction, all it takes is one blade to drop. If the magnet stops working, then the blade simply shuts down the reactor instead of causing a potential disaster.
The reactor is shielded through concrete walls. The coolant system that uses water then releases it as vapor was interesting to see, since it showed nuclear power plants work and how nonharmful they are to the environment. With multiple computer safety checks and a person monitoring the reactor at all times of the night to make sure none of the dials would read a potentially dangerous level. The tube system was also cool to see since it was a throwback to the 50s and some cartoons I watched as a child. Seeing all of the safety procedures and efforts in the lab was very important to me.
Also, our guide telling us how MGH uses radiation to kill tumors in non-invasive ways was really interesting and informative.