High school students get educated on fusion technology

The science class at Kaua‘i High School has literally been buzzing the past two days.

Through the efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, Envisioneering, Inc. coordinated the visit of scientists into the classroom at Kaua‘i High School.

Beth Tokioka of the county’s Office of Economic Development said the two scientists, Alex Nagy and Rick Lee of General Atomics in San Diego, Calif., will be visiting all three of Kaua‘i’s public high schools in their science departments.

This visit, a part of Kaua‘i Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s Team Tech Kaua‘i program, is courtesy of the initiative of Richard Kuga of Envisioneering, Inc., Naomi Nishida and Kaua‘i Area Complex Superintendant Bill Arakaki.

Additionally, Tokioka said the scientists will also host a clinic for science teachers on Saturday to provide the instructors with new and innovative ways to motivate students in the study of science. She added that the teachers will also be receiving some instructional materials to take back to the classroom at this clinic.

Nagy and Lee are no strangers to Kaua‘i, having been here the past several years as hosts for the General Atomics science show which hosts hundreds of students in science classes from the different schools on the island.

They also provide a public showing so parents of the students can experience the same excitement generated at the student level as the pair utilize high technology to demonstrate some of the principles of science, physics and math.

During their appearance at Kaua‘i High School, the pair drew from the popular show to demonstrate fusion related science topics such as scientific method, electromagnetism, liquid nitrogen properties and behavior, plasma in a light bulb, air plasma, electromagnetic spectrum exploration using an infrared camera, and an overview of fusion research.

The interest and attention being afforded the pair by the students was not rooted in courtesy, but by the intriguing demonstrations being conducted as they watched liquid nitrogen sweep through the floor of the classroom, the steam generated by boiling cold liquid wrapping around ankles and literally cleaning away grime, the power of air cannons blasting fog rings across the length of the classroom, and the human body conducting energy to light a flourescent light bulb.

Infused with the buzz of the demonstrations, students were also treated to information from the Occupation Outlook Handbook, Department of Labor, on science and technology careers including what kind of educational requirements, salaries and duties are involved.

According to information supplied by Nagy, the DHS S&T has sponsored this work with the belief that this exposure of the students in the students’ classroom, first-hand, will help motivate students to explore science careers to create a new generation of scientists in fields that are losing large percentages of their workforces to retirement.

During the sessions with the students, who were riveted to the presentations, the pair worked with various models, punctuated with slide shows, and left pamphlets and hand-outs on “Plasma: The 4th State of Matter.”

Nagy and Lee are chief operators on the DIII-D fusion reactor which performs stability and advanced fusion reactor simulations.

The fusion research science mission is to develop an electrical energy source using hydrogen isotopes from water to produce an environmentally clean long-term electrical energy source for Earth.

This was shown to the students using photographs from space showing the amount of energy humans use and depend on.

The pair also alluded to the fact that fossil fuels and coal, two of the more common sources of energy generation, will eventually run out.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.