The short answer is yes.

Here’s a longer answer.

In 1986, Richard Rhodes published the Pulitzer Prize book, The Making of the Atomic Bomb giving us a sweeping account of the making of the first atomic bomb, including who and how they did it.

Image: The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

The atomic bomb was developed by American and European scientists and engineers in an effort known as the Manhattan Engineering Project, 1942 – 1946. Although scientific and engineering methodology and content drove the project, underlying the Los Alamos Project was the impact that an atomic bomb would have on human civilization. When it was accomplished in 1945, everything changed. The world now had a weapon that emerged out of fear that Nazi Germany would build the bomb first, and rein havoc over England, and the rest of the world. Scientists urged the Roosevelt government to build a bomb.

On August 2, 1939, Leo Szilard, the Hungarian physicist, and Albert Einstein composed the letter that was sent to F.D. Roosevelt which suggested that research by scientists on the element uranium could lead to a form of energy—a nuclear chain reaction resulting in an atomic bomb. Szilard and Einstein asked Roosevelt to provide the funds to support research into the possibility of constructing such a bomb, and also pointed out that Germany was hoarding any uranium it had access to, and might be working on the bomb as well.

The project was established with the help of the U.K, and Canada, and was directed by Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer choose the site—near Los Alamos (close to where he vacationed), and every one entered the site through the strange address of 109 East Palace. Three bombs were developed; trinity (the test bomb exploded in July, 1945 near Alamogordo, New Mexico; little boy (the bomb dropped on August 6 on Hiroshima); and fat man (the bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9). The war ended a few days later, but the horror of nuclear weapons was witnessed in these two Japanese cities, and the proliferation of bomb making has continued to this day.

In 1945, there was only one country that had the bomb. Now, there are several countries that have the bomb–the so-called “nuclear club.” (At this link, you can click on missiles to find out who is in the club (7 – 8 nations), whose suspected (1-2), and those countries that gave up developing the bomb (7).

The science education community needs to be involved in the current furor over North Korea’s claim that it has detonated a nuclear weapon. Scientific and engineering knowledge provided the foundation for the development of the bomb; once the bomb was created, that knowledge and understanding became available to human societies and during the Cold War, the USA and the Soviet Union entered into a nuclear proliferation of staggering numbers. Not only were the numbers of weapons built beyond what was needed to do the job, the politicians and militarists behind the bomb making plans used the acronym, MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) as the code to drive their efforts.

Yes, scientists helped to develop the bomb; but Einstein, the author of the letter to develop the bomb later (1945) deeply regretted his decision, and was a major proponent of the anti-nuclear war movement.

We are in a profound mess right now with North Korea. But it could have and could be averted. I mentioned above that a number of countries have been convinced NOT to develop the bomb. They include Argentina, Algeria, Brazil, Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Ukraine. How did this happen? Was it by threat? Force? Stop building the bomb or we’ll punish you! No. In each case, these countries were convinced through positive incentives—loans, assistance, and recognition—that not building the bomb would be better for their nation than being a member of the club.

What is the story with North Korea? In the 1990’s South Korea and the US had convinced the North Koreans to abandon their nuclear program in exchange for trade and economic benefits, and recognition by the US. Talks by American and South Korean representatives in the North had actually reached the state where the North Koreans probably would not have followed the nuclear path.

What happened? The new US administration stopped communication with the North Koreans—to the astonishment of the South Korean government, and later labeled them as part of the axis of evil. These two pronouncements by the US administration have led to the current state of affairs with North Korea.

James Laney, former ambassador to South Korea, and former president of Emory University said he favors economic and diplomatic engagement with North Korea. If we are to solve current problem with North Korea, we need to follow the model used with the countries that gave up developing the bomb, and as any school child can tell you, positive actions will get better results for all than negative recriminations that the US wants to impose.

How could this possibly be in the realm of science science education? One of the most powerful approaches to science teaching in the last 50 years can be found in the science and society movement. Science-related social issues—as the bomb is—are resolved through integration of knowledge and action. Science educators should involve their students in the issue providing them with the content knowledge to understand fission and fusion, and how uranium and plutonium are used to make bombs, and how society needs to work towards dismantling the existing bombs, and keep open channels of communication with countries who have the bomb, and who want to have the bomb.

Without informed and knowlegeable citizens, politicians will continue to rule the roost, and pull the wool over our eyes. We need to keep our eyes and ears open, and question politicians that follow paths of destruction and provide little or no room for mutual decision-making. Science educators have an important role in this endeavor.

Image: Roger Cross’ book, Fallout
A colleague and friend of mine, Dr. Roger Cross, documented the importance of one citizen-scientist in his book, Fallout: Hedley Marston and the British bomb tests in Australia. Although frustrated, and put to shame by his colleagues, Hedley Marston battled the powers to be concerning the effect of the British bomb testing in Australia. Roger’s book is a reminder that it is not easy to argue with poweful government officials who are covering their own political careers, and in many instances hiding or not providing the evidence that is there. Students as future citizens need to be engaged in science classes in a way that science knowledge is used to solve social issues.