Event name: Principles and Challenges of Controlled Nuclear Fusion
Event time and place: November 25, 2025 @7-8PM
Dr. Rajesh Miangi starts the lecture off by explaining nuclear fission, the process in which heavy atomic nuclei split and release energy. This method is well understood and has been used for a while, commonly found in nuclear power plants. The downside however is that it produces radioactive waste with long half-lives, has the risk of melting down like we have seen in sites like Chernobyl, and the spread of nuclear weapons. Dr. Rajesh Miangi then goes into nuclear fusion, the process of combining light nuclei like hydrogen isotopes to form heavier nuclei like helium to release energy. Nuclear fusion happens naturally in stars and the energy we get from this is very abundant and clean. His main point was how nuclear fusion is very hard to use because it requires extreme temperatures in the millions of degrees celsius and therefore would need a material or method capable of handling it. The issue with nuclear fusion is that it is hard to get a net energy gain from it but it has been more efficient throughout the years. Developed well, nuclear fusion could be the future of energy.
Although more simplified due to some people in the audience not having much exposure to this field, the information was still clear and concise. I found the main points convincing since I had already had a bit of background knowledge and they were supported by clear explanations and examples. The explanation of how nuclear fission and fusion released energy was grounded in well-established physics like the relation of mass and energy and binding energy of atoms. I was also already aware that nuclear fusion occurs naturally in stars, which shows the energy potential of nuclear fusion and the constraints that are present when we try to replicate the process. Dr. Rajesh Miangi has had many years of experience in this field and has been to many experimental sites. Through this, he gave us examples and data that show progress towards the net gain of energy from nuclear fusion that make his claims of nuclear fusion being the energy source of the future being viable. With my strong background in science I understood the concept of atoms releasing energy when they combine. I also know that throughout history, the use of nuclear weapons have had devastating effects on infrastructure. Understanding that this is the result of this destruction is due to the large release of energy in a short period of time by fusion triggered by fission further consolidates how convinced I am of the information that Dr. Rajesh Mianji presented to me during the lecture.