Crafternoon offers nuclear reactor building

On Wednesday, April 1, the University of New Mexico hosted a Crafternoon where students built their very own nuclear reactors.

The event provided tools and materials for participants to build a fusion or fission core, including lead-lined protective suits, confinement shells, tubing and water for cooling. Students snacked on carrots and hummus and sipped little cans of Diet Pepsi while handling radioactive uranium and plutonium. 

Ima Lyre, UNM fine arts freshman, said she attended the event out of morbid curiosity and a desire to explore something new. The event was a good way to unwind with friends and connect with new people, she said.

“It’s actually pretty calming working with nuclear materials,” Lyre said. “You have to be really careful and patient with the reactor while you’re building or else you could create an ecological meltdown, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Chernobyl, which would suck. That’s part of what makes it so great to take your mind off school stress and stuff.”

Students chose between plutonium and uranium ions to use in their cores on a first-come, first -serve basis. 

“I went for the uranium, personally,” Lyre said. “I like the classic, almost retro feel to it. You look at it and it’s like, ‘yeah, that’s a nuclear reactor.’”

Event coordinator Bob Serber said the event was intended to bridge the gap between engineering majors and other members of the University.

“I think today was a huge success,” Serber said. “A lot of the time people hear ‘nuclear’ and go ‘Ah! Bombs!’ and sure, maybe we do make weapons. But we also make friends. We make connections.”

Serber said he hopes to help host more crafternoons. 

“We want to see more of this. We’re thinking that next time we’ll do homunculus building. We have an idea for an event centered around algebraic topology. We’ve also hoping to needle point, if we can afford it,” Serber said.

Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo