Nuclear Meltdown: Disaster at Chernobyl

Mohammad Ashraf Devin Dunn Brett Koepke Xavier Oliveros Group Website Junior Division

We chose the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl, in Pripyat, Ukraine because we are interested in the way the explosion happened and its also told to be one of the most dramatic nuclear accidents to ever happen on Earth. The nuclear explosion at Pripyat, Ukraine, on April 26, 1986, was caused by lack of knowledge in nuclear physics, which eventually changed the security at nuclear plants of future generations. We found most of our research online, in books and from newspaper articles from the time period. An especially helpful book was Perspectives on Modern World History: Chernobyl . This book gave us the important information that helped us start our research and gave us a foundation from which to expand. We also found websites and news sites to be helpful. World-Nuclear.org was a very good website because it gave us accurate information on the dangers of nuclear power and the impact the Chernobyl disaster has had on current nuclear plants. The Huffington Post was also a very good source for pictures and information on these photos. The most difficult part of our research was that many of the facts in some sources did not agree with information found under others. We had to cross-reference many sources to find the most accurate information possible. We, as a group, decided to display our research as a website. Today, the first place anyone goes to for information is the internet because it is so convenient. Also, we wanted to be able to add the many photos and videos we found. By creating a website, we were able to display what we had learned in an organized, clear and brief manner. We also felt that a website would be the best way to keep the reader attentive and focused. The explosion at Chernobyl was very deadly and caused 21 deaths and more than 100,000 people were infected with radiation poison. The disaster changed the safety precautions on nuclear experiments and the way nuclear plants are assembled. Most importantly, the explosion resulted in a general mistrust of nuclear power and, in particular,

of the Soviet Union, adding on to the list of events that led to the eventual fall of the communist giant. (386 words)