Guest post by Samir Pathak, Instrumentation & Control Engineer, AREVA Inc.
I had the pleasure of attending the 16th Annual Einstein Society Gala this past weekend at the National Museum of Nuclear Science in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The gala is held to celebrate Dr. Albert Einstein’s birthday and his contributions to humanity, and bestow the National Award of Nuclear Science and History to honor individuals making remarkable impacts in the nuclear science field. This year’s award was presented to Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, USN, Ret., who served as Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
In addition to celebrating such esteemed individuals, the Gala is one of the biggest fundraisers for the National Museum of Nuclear Science. AREVA helped sponsor the museum’s off-base relocation from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to southwest Albuquerque, and supports its mission “to serve as America’s resource for nuclear history and science through exhibits and quality educational programs conveying the diversity of individuals and events shaping the historical and technical context of the nuclear age.”
Many of the museum’s focal points are science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—or STEM— activities for students, including week-long science camps in affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution. Each science camp is catered to a specific age-range to teach kids about topics varying from rockets, dinosaur fossils, green initiatives, and even nanotechnology! Also throughout the museum are hands-on exhibits that allow for visitors to explore and interact, and on weekends volunteers from the local high-schools demonstrate various science experiments.
If you’re ever in Albuquerque, I recommend visiting the National Museum of Nuclear Science to see for yourself!
