Re: High School Health Physics

[Kim Merritt <Merritt9@llnl.gov>]

I agree with Charles Willis' comment on educating the teachers.  Several
years ago there was a one week symposium for high school science teachers
at Sandia Labs.  I met some of them as they were touring my facility and
started giving guest lectures at one of the schools every other Friday.  I
found it to be amazing how peoples opinions change when they start to learn
the science rather than what is reported in the news.  When I took the
class for a tour of Sandia one the managers giving the tour told me that he
was very impressed with the students understanding of fusion and fission
and how nuclear energy works.

I would encourage everyone to try to give a talk at least once at a school.
You may even find that you enjoy it.  Another bonus of having someone in
the radiation protection field give a talk is that you can take some of the
cooler "toys" that we have that schools can't afford.  They may have a GM
or two but if you can take a NaI that shows what the level of background
radiation is they always seem to be impressed. In any case, if a
non-degreed slacker technician like myself can change students attitudes
just think what you CHP types can do.


| | | |    Kim Merritt, RRPT
| | | |__  Sr. Health & Safety Technologist
| | \___/  merritt9@llnl.gov
| \___/    Voice: (925)423-1143   Fax: (925)423-1088
\___/      "When the only tool you have is a hammer,
	   every problem begins to resemble a nail."
	   -Abraham Maslow


************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html