WORLD TRADE CENTER

Samuel DeVeaux

Environmental Science

Christopher Columbus High School

Special Education Department

INTRODUCTION

As you are aware, a nuclear power plant –Indian Point—is located in Westchester County (a very short distance from the Bronx). In addition, you are also aware of the September 11, 2001 attack and destruction of the World Trade Center towers. In short, there is a potential for another devastating terrorist attack—possibly at Indian Point. As an environmental scientist, Forest Fearless, you are concerned about the potential risk a nuclear attack would present to residents of the Bronx. It is your job to evaluate existing policy(ies) regarding safety around the nuclear plant in Westchester? Indicated below is an article on the need for guarding nuclear reactors for your review.

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Guarding Nuclear Reactors and Material From Terrorists and Thieves

George Bunn and Fritz Steinhausler

For decades the United States has sought international standards to ensure that nuclear facilities and materials are physically protecteagainst theft and sabotage. On September 11, the need for such an initiative became strikingly apparent as analysts pondered the other possible targets of a terrorist attack. What would have been the loss of life if, for example, a hijacker had crashed a fuel-laden jetliner into a nuclear reactor, causing a meltdown and dispersing radioactive material?

Indeed, just days after the attacks, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made it clear that the attack had dramatic implications for the nuclear industry and for non-proliferation: “The tragic terrorist attacks on the United States were a wake-up call to us all. We cannot be complacent. We have to and will increase our efforts on all fronts—from combating illicit trafficking to ensuring the protection of nuclear materials—from nuclear installation design to withstand attacks to improving how we respond to nuclear emergencies.”

Spencer Abraham, the U.S. secretary of energy, appeared before the IAEA to urge “maintaining the highest levels of security over nuclear materials.” “We need to strengthen international commitments and cooperation on the physical protection of nuclear materials, particularly those that can readily be converted to weapons use,” he said.

If terrorists were willing to kill thousands of innocent people in suicidal attacks against buildings symbolizing America’s economic and military power, they would probably not hesitate to use truck bombs made of conventional explosives to attack nuclear reactors in order to create clouds of radioactivity like those produced by the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl. They would have little trouble acquiring anti-tank weapons that could blow up the heavy canisters in which radioactive spent fuel from nuclear reactors is transported through populated areas. It is even possible that they could acquire fissile material from one of the poorly guarded nuclear facilities around the world and find scientists willing to make nuclear weapons.

Current international agreements do not require that nuclear material and facilities in domestic use be guarded against thieves or saboteurs, including terrorists. This is a dangerous gap in the global barrier against proliferation. The IAEA has taken the first steps toward requiring measures to physically protect nuclear materials, but it is essential that this effort be pursued expeditiously and that countries take all reasonable steps to ensure that nuclear material is not part of the next terrorist attack.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

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Your task is to use the steps involved in public policy analyst (PPA) to develop a safety/ evacuation plan for residents of the Bronx in the event of nuclear attack at Indian Point Working in groups or individually, you will be required to submit a three (3) to five (5) page written report. Alternatively, you may present your report orally. To assist you in completing this task, go to the site below for the public policy analyst steps that must be included in your report:

• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/intro.html
• Working in groups (or individually) you will follow the public policy analyst steps below:

TRAFFIC JAM

• www.unc.edu/courses/econ006e/ congest/congest.htm

WEEK ONE

1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM:

A: USE WORKSHEET:

• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existingex.doc

WEEK TWO

2. GATHER EVIDENCE:

A. USE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST STEPS:

• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html

WEEK THREE

3.IDENTIFY CAUSES

A. SAMPLE WORKSHEET:

• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existingex.html

WEEK FOUR

4. EVALUATE A POLICY

WEEK FIVE

5. DEVELOP SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutionsex.html
• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet5.html

WEEK SIX

6.. SELECT BEST SOLUTION:

• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/bestsolex.html
• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet6.doc
• http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet6.html

WORD HELP:

Dictionary: http://www.m-w.com/

Translation of a word: http://www.wordreference.com/

7.

• http://www.closeindianpoint.org/news.htm
• http://www.closeindianpoint.org/evacuation_plan.htm
• http://www.ncl.ac.uk/internal/safety/fire/writing-peep.doc
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/other/family_disaster_planning.html

8.

Your report will evaluated/graded based on the rubric below.

• http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/rub.pres.html

• http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/rub.pres.html

• http://teachers.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/persuade.cgi

Presentation Rubric

	Evaluating Student Presentations
Developed by Information Technology Evaluation Services, NC Department of Public Instruction
	1	2	3	4	Total
Organization	Audience cannot understand presentation because there is no sequence of information.	Audience has difficulty following presentation because student jumps around.	Student presents information in logical sequence which audience can follow.	Student presents information in logical, interesting sequence which audience can follow.
Subject Knowledge	Student does not have grasp of information; student cannot answer questions about subject.	Student is uncomfortable with information and is able to answer only rudimentary questions.	Student is at ease with expected answers to all questions, but fails to elaborate.	Student demonstrates full knowledge (more than required) by answering all class questions with explanations and elaboration.
Graphics	Student uses superfluous graphics or no graphics	Student occasionally uses graphics that rarely support text and presentation.	Student's graphics relate to text and presentation.	Student's graphics explain and reinforce screen text and presentation.
Mechanics	Student's presentation has four or more spelling errors and/or grammatical errors.	Presentation has three misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	Presentation has no more than two misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.
Eye Contact	Student reads all of report with no eye contact.	Student occasionally uses eye contact, but still reads most of report.	Student maintains eye contact most of the time but frequently returns to notes.	Student maintains eye contact with audience, seldom returning to notes.
Elocution	Student mumbles, incorrectly pronounces terms, and speaks too quietly for students in the back of class to hear.	Student's voice is low. Student incorrectly pronounces terms. Audience members have difficulty hearing presentation.	Student's voice is clear. Student pronounces most words correctly. Most audience members can hear presentation.	Student uses a clear voice and correct, precise pronunciation of terms so that all audience members can hear presentation.
				Total Points:

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Last Update: 10/11/97

Name: Caroline McCullen

Email: caroline_mccullen@ncsu.edu

Christopher Columbus High School

Safety/evacuation plan

Name: ________________________

Teacher: Samuel DeVeaux

Criteria

Pts.

	4	3	2	1
Position Statement	Position is clearly stated and consistently maintained. Clear references to the issue(s) are stated.	Position is clearly stated and consistently maintained. References to the issue(s) at hand are missing.	Position is stated, but is not maintained consistently throughout work.	Statement of position cannot be determined.	____
Supporting Information	Evidence clearly supports the position; evidence is sufficient.	Evidence clearly supports the position; but there is not enough evidence.	Argument is supported by limited evidence.	Evidence is unrelated to argument.	____
Organization	Structure of work is clearly developed.	Structure developed reasonably well, but lacks clarity.	Some attempt to structure the argument has been made, but the structure is poorly developed.	There is a total lack of structure.	____
Tone Of Letter	Tone is consistent and enhances persuasiveness.	Tone enhances persuasiveness, but there are inconsistencies.	Tones does not contribute to persuasiveness.	Tone is inappropriate to purpose.	____
Sentence Structure	Sentence structure is correct.	Sentence structure is generally correct. Some awkward sentences do appear.	Work contains structural weaknesses and grammatical errors.	Work pays little attention to proper sentence structure.
Punctuation & Capitalization	Punctuation and capitalization are correct.	There is one error in punctuation and/or capitalization.	There are two or three errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.	There are four or more errors in punctuation and/or capitalization.
				Total---->	____

Teacher Comments:

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Standard 4:   Science

Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in

ELA	3	I	Listening and Reading
Analyze, interpret, and evaluate information, ideas, organization, and language from academic and nonacademic texts, such as textbooks, public documents, book and movie reviews, and

Due to the research on the safety and evacuation plans for residents of the Bronx, students will be able to analyze problems faced in the event of a terrorist attach on a nuclear power plant such as Indian Point in Westchester County and be able to come up with policies that might improve the chances of survival under such dire circumstances.