7th Grade Science “Nuclear Energy and the Effects on Ecosystems”
The unit took place within a larger ecology and ecosystems science unit. Early in the unit, we focused on reflecting on our own ecological identities, learning about Indigenous scientific knowledge through Robin Wall Kimmerer’s YA version of Braiding Sweetgrass, and researching the effects of radiation on soil, water, and living things within ecosystems affected by uranium mining and nuclear waste. This was the unit where many students started to clearly see themselves as important voices in the fight against the narrative that nuclear technologies are the answer to climate disaster. They were able to synthesize their learning from our unit on nuclear energy and the body, and continue the conceptual thread of our ethical responsibility as scientists. Within the lessons of the unit we explored the concepts of “Sacrifice Zones,” extractivism, and settler colonialism while continuing to center the concepts of interconnectedness, responsibility, and care. We discussed what it means to be in “right relationship” with the Earth (as Robin Wall Kimmerer and other Black and Indigenous scholars often say), and the importance of cultivating that relationship with the natural world as scientists/ecologists.
Discussion with filmmakers 1: Hadley Austin (Demon Mineral)
How did the toxicity of uranium directly impact the people who are living on the land that has been exploited by the nuclear industry for decades?
The film documents the struggle of the Diné community to reclaim their land after decades of mining, bringing together the voices of Indigenous scientists, elders, and activists as they weave together a story about both the past and present damage brought by “leetso” (what the Diné named uranium) to the health of the community as well as the ecosystem.
Director Austin shared about the opening of the Pinyon Plain mine in Arizona. In their responses to the film, students made connections to the concept of “sacrifice zones” especially because the film provides a powerful counter-narrative of peoples’ resistance to that label.
After the discussion students reflected on how they would use the film as a resource to teach others about the unethical nature of uranium mining and the lasting effects on ecosystems.
Download Notetaking Worksheet PDF
Collaboration with college students
Freshman students at the School of the Art Institute (SAIC) who enrolled “Nuclear Problems and Society” class visited NTA to have small group discussions with 7th graders. They discussed the documentary “Atomic Bamboozle” and prepared questions for the Director of the film, Jan Haaken, and exchanged brainstorming ideas for developing a discussion guide for the documentary.
Download a Collaboration Worksheet PDF
Discussion with filmmakers 2: Jan Haaken (Atomic Bamboozle)
The film focuses on the story of the Columbia River and the “ecosystem” of activists working to dismantle the false promise of small module reactors (SMRs).
Joint Zoom session with Director Haaken, NTA students, and SAIC students.
Director Haaken emphasized the role of “social memory” in the film, not only in relation to the stories shared by anti-nuclear activists that a younger generation can learn from, but also in the way the film focuses on the Yakama Nation’s deep ecological connection to the Columbia River as a powerful driving force for resistance.
Students continued to synthesize their prior science knowledge from lessons/research about the effects of radiation on soil, water, and the bodies of living things with the power of narrative as resistance to nuclear propaganda. The film supported students as they explored answers to our core unit questions “How can we use our knowledge to critique government policy and resist corporate propaganda? How do we as ecologists and environmental scientists communicate the ecological impact of nuclear fallout and nuclear waste?”
After discussing Atomic Bamboozle with SAIC students and Director Haaken, students began to create a comprehensive discussion guide for the film. In this discussion guide, students added resources about SMRs, nuclear policy, and Indigenous experiences. Key topics they included in the guide are: Costs and Who Profits, Effects on Ecosystems and “Sacrifice Zones,” Indigenous Experience and Resistance, Propaganda, Generational Effects, and Scientists’ Dilemma.
A smaller group of students began to plan for a letter (that includes their research) to present to representatives of the Illinois State Assembly as well as to our Chicago City Council members imploring them to consider the ramifications of lifting the moratorium on building new nuclear reactors in Illinois.
Download Students’ Notes from Discussions PDF
Download Discussion Guide and Resource Board for Atomic Bamboozle PDF
Field Trip to the University of Chicago
To conclude the unit, students took a field trip to the University of Chicago, the birthplace of nuclear energy. Students visited several sites of the Manhattan Project: Chicago Pile 1, “Nuclear Energy” sculpture by Henry Moore, Eckhart Hall, and Hutchinson Commons. The field trip was guided by Professor Emeritus, Norma Field, who gave students a detailed history of the Manhattan Project and its relevance to today’s nuclear problems.
