Dimona reactor (archives)
Photo: Reuters
Nuclear museum to open in Beersheba
Not a word on Israel's alleged nuclear program in center aimed at teaching kids about atomic energy
A museum dedicated to nuclear developments in Israel and the world is set to open in the southern city of Beersheba in 2012, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
The museum's exhibits will encompass subjects such as the invention of nuclear power, the inside of a nuclear reactor, and the connection to X-ray technology. However the museum has absolutely no information on Israel's nuclear program.
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The park will include a slew of scientific facilities aimed at serving students residing in the south. Its founders believe that it will help expose kids, especially in grades 4-9, to science in general and nuclear power in particular.
One of the museum's main founders is President Shimon Peres, who also helped establish the Dimona reactor in the 1950s, when he served as director-general of the Defense Ministry.
Almost a million dollars has been invested in the museum's construction by the Education Ministry, Ben-Gurion University, and the Nuclear Research Center, and it is said to be up to international standards.
Mayor Danilovich (L) and Rashi Foundation head near building slated to house museum (Photo: Haim Hornstein)
The museum's plans were made public over the past few days, and show that its exhibits will deal extensively with the history of nuclear science, its production, and its uses. A film will be shown on the history of nuclear science in the world, and photos from the establishment of the Soreq and Dimona reactors will be displayed.
In addition, there will be exhibits explaining the process of producing nuclear energy and the involvement of various state leaders like David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, and Shimon Peres in establishing Israel's reactors.
Interactive exhibits will reenact the experiment in which it was discovered that radioactive radiation is comprised of alpha, beta, and gamma rays, perform X-rays, display radiation from different sources, allow visitors to activate a model nuclear reactor, and explain the uses of nuclear power in medicine.
"Beersheba's Science Park is an educational, scientific, cultural, and touristic facility," said Mayor Rubik Danilovich. "This is a special park that will cultivate the next generation of scientists in Israel by encouraging curiosity, and I am sure the various exhibits will give them extraordinary inspiration."
The Rashi Foundation, which founded the park along with the city's municipality, issued a statement saying the museum would be its pinnacle. "This is an educational and cultural project aimed at providing learning experiences for all of the south's students," it said.
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