Fusion Energy Science Outreach Program

The General Atomics Fusion Energy Science Outreach program, funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Science-Fusion Energy Sciences (DOE FES) with support from General Atomics (GA), has provided outreach opportunities for students and the general public through hosting DIII-D Facility tours and participating in the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering, APS/DPP Teachers Day and student Plasma Expo, as well as specifically offering young female students opportunities for interacting with female scientists through the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) and Better Educated Women in Science & Engineering (BE WiSE) programs. GA proposes to continue to offer facility tours with upgrades that include plasma and control-based demonstrations and continued participation in the present set of off-site venues. GA's Fusion Energy Science Outreach web presence will be updated with videos about fusion demonstrations, scientist interviews, plasma discharge demonstrations, and fusion articles. We will explore the possibility of adding social media as a new program element that could provide interactive cyber experiences between scientists and students, with additional high quality images and articles about the state of fusion research as well as brief videos of demonstrations and 'behind the scenes' facility tours to make the program more engaging. A new program element will be the Fusion Energy Lecture (FuEL) program, where undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in fusion energy can become trained ambassadors and deliver local presentations on the progress and challenges in fusion energy to students and the general public. In addition to the exploratory aspects of this exciting outreach endeavor, the program provides a unique avenue to make students and the general public aware of the importance of DOE FES in its support of plasma and fusion science.