Freshman's nuclear fusion reactor has USU physics faculty in awe

deseretnews.com ^ | 9-16-03 | Alan Edwards

[wafflehouse]

...culminating in second place in the International Intel Science and Engineering Fair...

SECOND PLACE?? what won first place??

[TomServo]

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[Paul Atreides]

what won first place??

Probably, something celebrating multiculturalism.

[sockmonkey]

I loved this article. I read it earlier over at Trixie's site, but was too lazy to post it here. It's like junkyard wars meets physics. Too Cool.

[Brett66]

[Bogey78O]

' what won first place?? '

First place doesn't exist. Do not talk of this.

[JOE6PAK]

I think it was the guy that made a bookend out of a shoebox and a brick.

[maui_hawaii]

Junkyard War!!!

[TheBigB]

Real Genius bump!

[Rennes Templar]

Farnsworth died in '71 and was from Utah. Wallace (around 18 yrs. and in Utah) could be Farnsworth reincarnated, ready to resume where he left off. Of course, I guess not too many Mormons believe in the perfectionment of the soul through re-embodiment.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

"First place goes to.... The Ronco home abortion kit to be distributed by Planned Parenthood to schoolgirls through the school nurse."

[Paul Atreides]

I thought of something along those lines, but just couldn't put it so perfectly as you have.

[Sooner78]

I wouldn't take this article too serious until someone with a physics degree from somewhere other than Utah certifies it as credible. Smells of really bad science to me.

[Spirited]

Bump for young people and their supportive parents.
Notice that it wasn't the school that prompted this.

[Semi Civil Servant]

They found a neutron detector in an Idaho Falls scrap metal yard.

I wonder if that scrap yard had a calendar with naughty pictures of Madame Curie on the wall.

[Mears]

God,when my boys were that age I thought they were great when they put on my snow tires.(A while ago,obviously)

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Operators standing by.

[Cicero]

what won first place??

If I tell you I'll have to kill you.

[El Gato]

I wouldn't get too close to that thing, it likely emits lots of x-rays too. There was an article in Analog (Science Fiction/Science Fact magazine) some years ago describing such a reactor. Not really all that hard to build, but definitely a challenging science fair project, and way cool to.

SECOND PLACE?? what won first place??

I suspect it got second place because the first place entry showed more originality and/or better illustrated the scientific process.

[El Gato]

I wouldn't get too close to that thing, it likely emits lots of x-rays too.

Should have looked at the picture. The thing is inside a metal can, thus the need for the TV camera to see the plasma. Safer from X-Rays, and safer from a vacumn implosion as well, than a glass bell jar would be.