Summary

In this activity, students will design a method to transfer “radioactive” waste from a contaminated area to a proper nuclear waste disposal site from a given list of materials. Students must follow rules and constraints when designing nuclear waste disposal devices and make an effort to maximize their economic gains.

Grade Level

High School

NGSS Alignment

This activity will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into small, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
• HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
  • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to

• Collaborate to design a solution to a complex real-world problem.
• Understand the process of properly handling and disposing of nuclear waste.
• Discuss the positive and negative impacts of nuclear radiation.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of

• Radiation
• Nuclear waste handling and disposal
• Superfund sites
• Medical and health impacts of radiation

Time

Teacher Preparation: 15 minutes

Lesson: 90 minutes

Materials

(Quantities of each will vary depending on what students select to use.)

• Masking tape
• “Radioactive” material (Ex: ping pong balls, paper clip, small toys or figures, etc.)
• Disposal box (Ex: empty shoe box)
• Paper clips (box 100 count)
• Straws (bag of 100)
• String
• Spoons (approximately 30-50 depending on class size)
• Index cards (100)
• Bag of Rubber bands
• Popsicle sticks
• “Nuclear disposal gear” (Ex: normal gloves, apron, googles)

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• Students should be divided into groups of 2 to 4 (depending on class size).
• Nuclear radiation, handling and disposal of nuclear waste, superfund sites, and health effects of radiation can be discussed prior to the lab day, as a pre-activity discussion, or after the activity is conducted.
• The following links are helpful websites for presenting info:
  • World Nuclear Association
  • EPA: Superfund Sites
  • EPA: Radiation Health Effects
• Activity Set-Up: Mark off a rectangular area (approximately 2 ft by 1.5 ft) using masking tape on a desk to serve as your “contaminated” waste area. Place 6 “radioactive” waste objects within the contaminated zone (example: ping pong balls, paper clip, small toy figures, etc.) Each group will be tested using the same set-up. You only need to set up one contaminated area and waste disposal site. Object selection can make the lab easier or harder depending on how difficult the object is to pick up. Ping pong balls roll and can easily be knocked out of the contaminated area which adds difficulty while other objects may be difficult to pick up depending on the nature of the object. The lab is easier when all 6 objects are the same (ex. 6 ping pong balls) compared to having 6 unique objects (each one poses a separate challenge).
• Place an empty box (the nuclear disposal site) across the room from the contaminated area, approximately 10-15 feet way (actual distance will depend on room size). Since each group if using the same set-up, you only need one disposal site.
• Quantities of materials needed will vary depending on student choices. It’s helpful to have excess of materials in order to manage the demand for certain materials.
• Activity Rules and Constraints:
  • Student groups have 35 minutes to build devices to transport the contaminated items to the disposal site.
  • Students may select whatever materials they wish from the given materials list, however, every item has a cost (included in student handout). The goal of the lab is transport the radioactive items to the disposal site with the most cost effective method.
  • Student groups have a 5 minute limit to transfer the items (grade deduction for going over 5 minutes).
  • Each group will be tested individually with the other groups watching (adding pressure and fun to the lab). Groups may not continue to build or make alterations to their devices after the 35 minute window since this activity challenge is a contest and a group selected to go last would have an unfair advantage of altering their devices based on the mistakes of others. Learning from others mistakes is a valuable skill but must be avoided in this challenge to keep the grading fair.
  • The radioactive items may only be picked up using the devices made by the student.
  • The radioactive material must never touch a part of any students body (only the devices).
  • If at any time, a radioactive item is dropped, a group member must put on radioactive waste gear (normal lab googles, gloves, and apron) to pick up the item and transport it back to the contamination site at a cost of $500 per accident. Students may still use the device that was involved in the drop. They do not need to use a new device in the event of a drop.
  • The items must be transported one at a time. After a device has touched any of the contaminated items it is also considered contaminated and must be dropped into the disposal box. Meaning, each radioactive item must be picked up with a unique device. (Devices can only be used for one item then get disposed).
• Determining the cost (2 options):
  • Honor system: Have students complete an inventory of their materials and determine their own cost.
  • Teacher lead: Students ask teacher for materials and teacher keeps records of cost.
• Grading: Each ball successfully transported earns the group $5000. Each drop subtracts $500 from their earnings. All materials used must also be subtracted from earnings. Groups should be charge $1000 per minute for every minute they go over the 5 minute limit. Top earning group gets the highest score and subsequent groups decrease from there.
  • Note: Most groups will be able to finish the challenge very quickly. However, if a group is unable to finish, you may want a predetermined score in the event they are unable to finish.
  • Suggestion: If a group shows appropriate effort throughout the challenge and is unable to finish they will receive a score of 35 out 50.
  • Example scoring: 1 ^st: 50 out 50, 2^nd: 47 out 50, 3^rd: 45 out 50, etc.
  • Additional points can be added for post lab analysis to help groups who scored poorly in the competition.
• Make sure students understand all rules, constraints, and grading before starting lab.