Bridging science and society

Several thousand students and teachers, science and technology professionals, and media representatives had the opportunity to learn more about the ITER project when they visited the US ITER exhibit at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held February 18-22 in San Diego.

The exhibit featured displays on various aspects of the ITER Project, a model and a 3D video depicting the ITER device, a touch-screen fusion quiz, and several colorful plasma devices. Personnel from the US ITER Project Office and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory staffed the exhibit, greeting visitors and distributing US ITER brochures, questions and answers and a fact sheet about fusion, and flashing "buzz balls" featuring the US ITER website address and logo.

This year's AAAS meeting, which focused on "Bridging Science and Society," featured more than 150 symposia, plenary and topical lectures. A variety of special events included Family Science Days, which were open to the public but organized especially for middle and high school students.

While in San Diego, communicators representing several of the ITER organizations gathered for a meeting of the Fusion Communications Group. The FCG was formed last year to increase awareness of the potential of magnetic fusion energy as one of the important, practical solutions to the world's long-term energy needs. General Atomics hosted the meeting, which included a tour of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility.