Approximately 200 eighth-grade students from Robertsville Middle School recently visited the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The students were granted the opportunity to tour the facility at the end of a three-day middle school outreach program created by ORNL’s Robert Saethre, chief engineer in the Neutron Sciences Directorate. Beginning in the classroom, participating teachers walked students through accelerators and how they work. Students then constructed the SNS’s accumulator ring with LEGO® bricks before visiting the facility to see the real thing in person. There, students toured the facility and met with multiple staff members from different fields to watch demonstrations and learn more about the many career opportunities offered at ORNL and SNS.
“The event was a tremendous success,” Saethre said. “We received wonderful feedback from students, teachers, chaperones, and even the bus drivers. It was so rewarding to see everyone having such a great time and fully engaged in the activities.”
During the tour, some students were struck by the notable size difference between the model they built in the classroom and the SNS’s real accumulator ring.
“It’s crazy,” said eighth-grader Faith Harper. “It’s like 100 times bigger than the one we built.”
The accumulator ring model constructed in the classroom was made with approximately 2,091 LEGO® bricks and instructions created by a previous ORNL intern, Stauffer Randa.
The accumulator ring is an important asset to the SNS’s First Target Station and helps ions produced at the facility’s front end reach the speed necessary to create the pulsed neutron beams used in experiments across many scientific areas and industries, like industrials materials, energy storage, automotive, and more.
(Photo Credit: Amy Lyttle/Robertsville Middle School)
(Photo Credit: Carol Morgan/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Eighth-grade science teacher Amy Lyttle was impressed with the program, noting that it is one she looks forward to participating in again with future students. “A lot of the science that happens at SNS corresponds to the science that we’re learning in eighth grade,” Lyttle said. “Much of what students learn in the classroom is abstract and hard to apply in everyday life. Coming here and seeing some of that science in action is incredible.”
Additionally, Lyttle shared that she was thrilled for the students to witness the variety of career opportunities available in the students’ own backyard, as well as gain a better understanding of the education they need to participate in this line of work.
“It’s been really cool learning about the accelerator and then getting to come here and see all the different parts,” said eighth-grader Cyrus Shupe. “There are so many jobs that I never knew were here, like electricians. I didn’t know they would have electricians or writers. It’s crazy.”
Participating students were split between a morning tour and afternoon tour, where they were then divided into six groups of 15 and guided through seven different stations. At these stations, staff introduced students to different science concepts and the tasks expected of them in their role.
Group Leader in Vacuum Systems Jeremy Price, along with Vacuum Technician Jacob Cole, participated in the demonstrations staff held for visiting students. The duo illustrated the effects of vacuum on different substances (in this case, water and marshmallows, a popular crowd favorite among the students). Moreover, the students were shown the Primary Foil changer mechanism and various vacuum components that make beam acceleration possible, which helps SNS fulfill its mission of providing the neutron scattering community with unprecedented research opportunities.
(Photo Credit: Carol Morgan/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy)
(Photo Credit: Carol Morgan/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Eighth-grader McKenzie Douglas shared that this demonstration was the best one of the day. “I like science, so I like listening and learning about stuff like this. My favorite demonstration was the one where they made the water bubble. That one was really fun.”
Some students, like Faith, expressed interest in pursuing career paths that could lead back to the lab. She shared her dreams of becoming a software developer for ORNL when she gets older.
“My favorite part of the tour is seeing how the people who work here know more than they need to know,” Faith said, “and I like the idea that you can never have too much knowledge.”
Building the idea, one brick at a time
Saethre first got the idea for the outreach program after attending the Linac 2022 Conference in Liverpool, United Kingdom, which included a raffle for a LEGO® brick model of the Large Hadron Collider. Seeing the particle accelerator built with the popular building bricks sparked an idea that Saethre brought home with him to Oak Ridge.
Using LEGO® bricks, Saethre hoped to generate interest in STEM-related career paths by introducing students to the SNS’s linear accelerator in a digestible way.
“Our goal is to give students an interactive experience that will spark their interest in STEM,” Saethre said when interviewed about the program last summer. “This program will provide an incredible opportunity to introduce students to the SNS and how it operates, and in doing so they will learn about the many jobs offered here at the lab.”
After the final bus left the facility, Saethre expressed his gratitude to everyone involved. He shared that the event was a success due to the enthusiasm and participation of so many wonderful staff members who acted as tour guides, demonstrators, and all the other important roles in the event.
“Thank you once again for making SNS STEM Day such a memorable experience,” Saethre wrote in an email that went out to the entire facility. “I am proud to be a part of this wonderful team!”
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science — Kaeli Dickert
