The nuclear situation in Japan continues to raise concerns that the dangers have been downplayed by national authorities and members of international community. Given how alienated most people are from any understanding how technologies like nuclear reactors operate--and I place myself fully in the relatively clueless category here--it has been easy for misinformation and disinformation provided from various parties to spread.
Moreover, the lack of widespread numeracy--and the requisite skills to interpret probabilities-- has transformed valuable information about increased risks into 'we're all going to die' panic through what Francois Debrix has referred to as the 'tabloid terror' of the 24 hour news cycle.
While the fascination with horrible nuclear induced annihilation has always been a feature of the atomic age from the start--J. Robert Oppenheimer's 'Iam death, the destroyer of worlds' comment sets the tone--the actual mundane of details of how a nuclear power plant functions have not garnered the same kind of sustained public attention.
Enter Kennesaw State University's Nuclear Power Plant Simulator. Not only does it provide an interactive overview of how a reactor works, it also allows you to see if you are a budding Otto Hahn or wilting Homer J. Simpson.
This is a brilliant example of intelligent engagement by a higher education institution.
