I went on a 45 minute tour of a SLOWPOKE Nuclear Reactor that is on my campus! Seeing as how this directly relates to my area of study, I found the design and function absolutely incredible!

I'll post a couple tidbits that I learned while on the tour!

- Most nuclear reactors are held at a negative pressure level. This is to ensure that if any breaches between inside and outside occur, air from outside will rush INTO the building to prevent any radiated particles from escaping. So, as you can imagine, there was an airlock needed just to get inside the building!

- I experienced a radiation level of 1x10^-6 Seiverts by being inside the plant for the length of time that I was. My body usually experiences 500x10^-6 Seiverts by being in the sun, so the radiation level is well within acceptable levels.

- Cerenkov radiation was clearly visible in the reactor pool, giving off a blue hue characteristic of the medium in which the core resides, water. No-one really knows why radiation is associated with a green glow, as uranium itself is silver and plutonium emits a yellow blackbody radiation spectrum.