Discover the science behind nuclear energy at hands-on INL event
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Idaho National Laboratory’s Family Nuclear Science Night on Oct. 24, 2025. | Courtesy INL
IDAHO FALLS — Idaho National Lab is inviting students of all ages and their families to a nuclear science night.
It’s happening Wednesday at the INL Meeting Center, 775 MK Simpson Blvd., in Idaho Falls, according to a news release from the INL. It’s open to the first 350 people to register.
The annual hands-on STEM event will introduce visitors to nuclear science, engineering and the “groundbreaking research taking place” in eastern Idaho.
There will be a variety of activities, including building atoms and exploring how nuclear chain reactions work. Attendees can also create colorful chromatography butterflies and see hands-on nuclear science displays.
INL researchers and representatives from the nuclear industry will also be attending to share insights and answer questions.
“When a student gets to ask a researcher a question face to face, that’s often the moment science stops feeling abstract and starts feeling possible,” Sunshine Shepherd, INL’s K-12 STEM Education and Outreach manager, says in a news release. “Programs like these show kids that a future in STEM isn’t out of reach. It’s something they can see, touch and imagine for themselves.”
Family Nuclear Science Night is part of Nuclear Science Week, which began on Oct. 19. Multiple events were held for people of all ages last week, including an “ARTitorium Takeover” for all ages, a paint night and a student-focused “Science on Stage” event and an evening with “Kate the Chemist” hosted by the Idaho Falls Arts Council.
Wednesday night’s event is the capstone of the celebration and is specifically for students.
This year’s celebration follows a notable summer at INL’s desert site. Three advanced reactors achieved criticality, the state in which a reactor sustains a controlled nuclear chain reaction, in one of the most significant stretches of reactor milestones INL has seen in decades. That momentum adds extra weight to this year’s push to bring nuclear science to the public.
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“Making nuclear energy science and technology approachable is our responsibility because we’re so woven into this community,” Addison Arave, Nuclear Science and Technology communications liaison at INL, says in a news release. “That’s the goal of this year’s Nuclear Science Week: meeting people where they are, in creative and interesting ways.”
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Family Nuclear Science Night is free to attend. It’s happening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To register or learn more, click here.