Stories about Breaking Scientific Boundaries

This sketch illustrates the world's first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile 1 or CP-1, which was constructed under the football grandstands at the University of Chicago.

US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 

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From the splitting of the atom to the study of health physics, revolutionary science and engineering fueled the Manhattan Project at its three main sites and numerous smaller sites across the country. Today, Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge are centers of technological innovation and home to research centers and laboratories that trace their roots back to the Manhattan Project. Many of the Manhattan Project’s smaller sites are also still research centers although some have evolved into larger facilities. But how did the Manhattan Project break scientific boundaries to set the stage for later discoveries and new fields of science? Find out by exploring the links below.