You know how sometimes you got to a dinner party and the "adults" all sit at a big table and there's another table set aside for the "kids"?
Well, yesterday I went to dinner with all the folks who attended Richard Hull's "High-Energy Amateur Science" fair at his home in Richmond, Virginia. After spending the afternoon at his lab, the bunch of u all all went to dinner at a nearby restaurant (Anthony & George's).
By the time I got there, most of the assembly had taken seats at a long table near the window. But, as luck would have it, some of the younger attendees grabbed a circular table for themselves (I'll take a small circular table over a long rectangle any day). There was room for one more seat at the table… and I swear, it was the best time I ever had sitting at "the kids table" — waaaaay more fun than when ever I was a kid…
From left to right, my dinner companions here are: Robert Tubbs (who flew in from Seattle for the event), Chad Ramey, Ben Bartlett, Tyler Christensen, and Steven Shaw. I believe these guys (except possibly Steve, who racers lawn-mowers instead of building fusors) have all achieved nuclear fusion with their experimental reactors – which is to say, they are members of "the neutron club." And the average age of this group is… 17.6 years!
Having dinner with these guys was like being in the middle of an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" on TeeVee (and imagine my relief when, after confessing that I watch that show, they all told me they like and watch it too…). I mean, how often do you sit around a table and banter about phrases like "periodically oscillating plasma spheres" ?
When I first sat down with these guys, I thought of Pem Farnsworth. I remembered how she loved to talk with young people about her late husband, Philo T. Farnsworth, with the hope that his story would inspire them to experiment with their own lives.
These guys are the truest expression of the Legacy of Philo T. Farnsworth. Forget television, forget patents, forget gizmos and doohickeys… it's the spirit of exploration and adventure these guys embody that really impresses me.
As I sat with these guys, all I could think of was how very, very proud Pem would be if she could have sat there with them. I can just see her beaming from ear to year…
Well put Prefesser, after socializing with these guys in Hull’s lab I felt exactly the same way. Thank you for putting that feeling into words.
Best writeup so far.
So, who is promoting STEM education better than this bunch?
Check into fusor work by Tyler Wilson at the Davidson Acaddemy- google Davidsonacademy.org and then davidson academy-Reno, the select UTube in low4err left corner fcor video.
Hmmmm, the answer lies with the elements used or the liquid, and not the physical parts…
I need a tabletop generator to give an example, of reaction with no wires leading in or out.Can you send me same.
101investments@gmail.com
How much does it cost to create your own Fusor?
Some people have built a fusor for as little as “the cost of a used set of golf clubs” . Others have spent upwards of $25K.
If you’re interested you should read the forums. After you’ve nosed around there some, you can ask questions… there are a LOT of newbies there, so you should fit right in, but don’t ask too many basic questions, they have all been answered many times.
Thanks for your interest,