For Fusion Energy Week, plasma physics hits the town
Fusion is a brainy science. A spate of public events aim to make it fun, too.
Some people are plasma physicists. Far more are “fusion-curious.” In a few weeks, both types will bump elbows over drinks at a bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Around the same time, science buffs in Boulder, Colorado, will be battling it out for Fusion Trivia Night at a local tavern. Enthusiasts near Tacoma, Washington, can catch a planetarium show on fusion at the Pierce College Science Dome. And residents of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, are hitting the arboretum trails for an event called “Hike Toward Fusion Energy.”
For Fusion Energy Week, taking place May 5-9, fusion facilities and scientists across the country will open their doors, host virtual tours, and organize creative events that make complex science accessible.
Nearly a century after Arthur Eddington first published his theory that stars produce energy by fusing hydrogen into helium, the science has evolved from theoretical concept to practical pursuit. In recent decades, the tantalizing prospect of commercial fusion — clean, unlimited energy that produces no carbon emissions — has spurred billions of dollars in public- and private-sector investment. Dozens of facilities and companies are racing to demonstrate net energy gain using three major approaches: magnetic confinement, used by ITER; inertial confinement with lasers, used by the National Ignition Facility; or the production of fusion pulses with a variety of techniques, used by startups like General Fusion and Zap Energy.
"We are closer than ever to harnessing this type of clean energy here on earth," reads the colorful event website.
The timing of Fusion Energy Week honors the May 10 birthday of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, an American astronomer whose discoveries about stellar composition laid the foundation for fusion science.
Beyond the casual mixers and bar hops, visitors can tour tokamaks virtually, learn about career pathways in fusion, or sign up for online courses on fusion energy. Some events are especially hands-on: For “Plasma Palette at NC State,” for example, Raleigh residents can win prizes for original artwork.
Organized by the U.S. Fusion Outreach Team, a group of scientists and communications specialists from laboratories, universities, and companies, Fusion Energy Week is a grassroots initiative to connect the public with fusion research. The initiative encourages physicists nationwide to add their own events to the Fusion Energy Week calendar.