HRVHS chemistry students visit nuclear reactor

Hood River Valley High School students took a different type of science lesson Wednesday during a trip to Reed College in Portland.

The Advanced Chemistry students watched a nuclear reactor in action.

Reed College houses a 250kW TRIGA Mark I reactor that is used specifically for observational and experimental purposes, not to generate electricity.

In a demonstration of the reactor’s capabilities, the core was activated in the submerged tank and emitted bright blue light throughout the water. This display of light, called “Cerenkov Radiation,” is caused when beta particles reach such high kinetic energy that the velocity exceeds that of the speed of light in water.

While no particle can exceed the speed of light in a vacuum, it is possible for a particle to obtain a speed greater than the speed of light in some mediums, such as water.

The college uses the reactor for instruction, research and analysis, especially trace-element analysis. The reactor is open for private viewing purposes on an observation deck.

“The kids got to see a nuclear reactor in action close up, which allowed them to observe the safety of nuclear energy,” said Lynn Mitchell, coordinator of the trip. “A visit like this is important because Hood River is a nuclear free zone, and it’s good for the kids to watch college students running something as powerful as a nuclear reactor.”

Hood River County has been a Nuclear Free Zone since November of 1986. The law was signed after being mandated by initiative petition and passed by a solid majority in all of the county’s 13 precincts.

“We got to learn about nuclear structure first hand,” said student Cody MacMillan, “It’s too bad that there aren’t more opportunities to learn outside the classroom.”

Mitchell also noted, “The visit was also a chance for them to visit a smaller college with a different attitude towards education.”

“The campus was full of diversity. The activities and student life were both much different than I expected,” said student Nate Dethman.

The campus visit is just one of many activities the “Science Wizards” do throughout the year. The Wizards will be performing acts of science “magic” for the local elementary and middle schools in the valley beginning this week as well as individual classroom visits so that Wizards may answer students’ questions one-on-one.