alpha, beta, gamma

We are at a radioactivity conference at the Disneyland hotel, where the plates are inlaid with tiny porcelain mouse ears, the rooms cost $450/night and there is no WiFi in their large conference halls (what is up with that?).  My phone froze, and my resourceful friend, Bev, looked up how to fix it on her phone.  I think I impressed some nuclear engineers by pointing out how one of their classroom activities can lead to a misconception about the nature of Rutherford’s atomic model, which was, honestly, the highlight of my day (being RIGHT!).  I got some good ideas, but mostly am inspired to complete an epic thematic unit linking the development of the atomic bomb to atomic models, atomic structure, isotopes, the exile of Jewish scientists from Europe during WWII and the Holocaust.  It will either be a rousing success, a paragon of interdisciplinary learning, or a jumbled mess.  We’ll find out next fall!

Here's a cool C-12 magnetic model that I couldn't stop playing with.