Grounds for Science presents cutting-edge research from the graduate student community at UC Berkeley in a relaxed science cafe setting. This month features short talks by Alexis Schusterman and Chris Keckler, exploring the chemistry of climate science and the physics of safe nuclear reactors.
Climate Models Explained with Alexis Schusterman
From predicting future temperatures to re-creating pre-historic conditions, computational models are a huge part of how scientists investigate earth’s ever-changing climate. Come learn what drives these models, how they’ve evolved over time, and what researchers are doing to make them even better!
----
Inherently safe nuclear reactors with Chris Keckler
It has been proven in full scale experiments that advanced nuclear reactor designs can be engineered so that they remain within all safety limitations during even the most extreme accident scenarios. Reactors which meet this criterion are termed “inherently safe”. This talk will explore the physics and engineering choices that go into an inherently safe design, and how these designs differ from current commercial power reactors. Furthermore, examples of inherently safe designs will be briefly outlined and discussed.