Introduction

The Problem

For Students

Resources

For Teachers

Dave Speers recently moved to Springfield, Virginia from sunny California. Dave loves being out on the water with his boat and is anxious to find a place to use it. Dave wants to find a house on a lake where he can access his boat on weekends. Dave has a few requirements for his lake house. It must be within a two hour drive from his home in Northern Virginia and be clean enough for his children to swim in.

Dave begins his search and finds a beautiful house on Lake Anna in Central Virginia. It's less than a two hour drive from home and the water is warm, clean, and inviting. As Dave is driving around the lake to get a look at the surrounding neighborhood he sees two nuclear reactors. He learns that Lake Anna is a man-made lake used to cool the nuclear reactors.

Dave is unsure what to do. He's heard a lot about nuclear power plants. "Are they safe?" he ponders. Dave contacts Acme Research who advertise "We'll research any problem." He asks Acme Research to investigate nuclear safety and its risks and to make a recommendation on whether he should buy this home on Lake Anna or not.

You are a member of the team at Acme Research assigned to this project. You and your team will investigate the problem and make a presentation to Dave Spears with your recommendation and a justification of why you think he should or shouldn't buy this home.