3 ms·
Is that science though? I would consider it nuclear engineering.
by notthemessiah 3y ago
Is that science though? I would consider it nuclear engineering.
- dackerlunghack 3y ago[dead]
- antonvs 3y agoYes, it’s science, precisely for the reason I raised, which is that fundamental research is still needed and still being done before it can get to the point of being pure engineering. There’s no path to viable controlled nuclear fusion that can be achieved by simply applying engineering principles using known physics. That’s why the Fusion Energy Sciences program within the Department of Energy’s Office of Science was allocated three quarters of a billion dollars in the 2023 appropriations bill. Here’s a list of institutions involved in fusion research in the US alone: https://science.osti.gov/fes/Research/Fusion-Institutions https://science.osti.gov/fes/Research/Fusion-Institutions There are similar lists for all the countries involved in the $40+ billion ITER experiment. Of course, there’s serious engineering involved in these projects as well, just as there is for the LHC, for example. But presumably you wouldn’t call the research being done at the LHC “particle engineering”.