Date: May 1, 2010. Location: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University,  James Forrestal Campus, Plainsboro, New Jersey. Cost: Free. Photo IDs  required of visitors 18 and older.

Fusion, Food, and Fun for Everyone

Open House at PPPL

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) will host an Open House on Saturday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Last admittance is at 3:30 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine. Come to the hottest place in New Jersey* and find out about fusion energy — the process that powers the sun and other stars.

Self-guided tours of the experimental areas, as well as a host of science and safety activities for all ages, are scheduled throughout the day. Visitors can tour a fusion machine, talk to scientists and engineers, and see scientific exhibits and demonstrations — and it’s all free.

At 10:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m., PPPL Director Stewart Prager will give a talk, “Fusion Energy: What, How, and When?” in the Auditorium. In addition, there will be cryogenics shows, and nuclear detection and laser demos. Light refreshments and souvenirs will be available.

PPPL, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University, collaborates with researchers across the globe to develop fusion as an energy source for the world, and conducts research along the broad frontier of plasma science and technology. PPPL also nurtures the national research enterprise in these fields, and educates the next generation of plasma and fusion scientists. For more information, go to www.pppl.gov.

Photo: Elle Starkman PPPL Science Education Head Andrew Zwicker shows a plasma ball to students visiting the Laboratory. Similar demonstrations will occur at PPPL’s May 1 Open House.

*PPPL experiments have produced record plasma temperatures of 510 million degrees centigrade. Plasma — the fourth state of matter — is a hot, ionized gas that fuels the production of fusion energy.

Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs

Tags: National Laboratories, Plasma Physics, Programs for Families, Programs for Teachers, Weekend programs