ES 111 - The Yucca Mountain Problem:Where Should We Put Nuclear Waste

Institution:

Wellesley College

Subject:

Description:

Besancon (Geosciences) Choices about disposal of radioactive materials will affect countless future generations. Focusing on the proposed storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, we will examine the important scientific questions that must be answered for long-term safety of a nuclear repository. Students will learn the scientific principles governing risk assessment, groundwater movement, volcanism, earthquakes, and the ground-water properties of the repository rocks, and how each affects the safety of the proposed containment facility. We will also examine the evidence and methods used to predict how the waste and the containers designed to hold it will behave for long periods. Students will identify key issues and produce small group projects examining some of the scientific issues raised by this controversial proposal. Stu-dents may register for either GEOS 111 or ES 111 and credit will be granted accordingly. Prerequisite: Open to first-year students only. Distribution: Natural and Physical Science Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wellesley.edu

Phone Number:

(781) 283-1000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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