Book Proposal
Title: Nuclear Science and Technology: an interpretative approach
1. Contact Information (follow: infinitysciencepress.com/info/authguide.aspx)
Professor Chung Chieh
Department of Chemistry
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, ON, Canada
N2L 3G1
E-mail
Telephone: Office, 519 888 4567 ext. 35816; Home, 519 746 5133
2. Project Overview
Nuclear science and technology had a quiet beginning at the end of the 19th century, accelerated in secrecy during the world wars, matured and withered during the 20th century, partly because nuclear energy was so great and powerful that its initial deployment in war made a worldwide impact. Nuclear bombs and accidents further smothered our enthusiasm, because the looming of a nuclear winter threatens all lives on Earth. Yet nuclear technology still quietly plays a role in power generation, hospitals, laboratories, food processing, politics and international affairs.
In the developing journey of nuclear science and technology, incredible human drama unfolded and complicated theories and mathematical formulations were invented for the interpretation or explanation of nuclear phenomena. This book takes a descriptive approach of its journey leaving out highly encoded symbols and convoluted mathematics.
The first three chapters review energy, quantities, units, atoms and chemical elements to provide a sound background for the reader to enter this field. Then, the discovery of radioactivity, identification of subatomic particles, the atomic nuclei, the standard model, accelerators, nuclear reactions, fission, fusion, interactions of radiations with matter, radiation and health, and applications of nuclear technology will be described. Since its publication evolves from a set of lecture notes, some scientific notations and equations are used to deal with physical quantities and concepts. Additional resources are available for instructors who may want to adopt this book for a one-term course. The lecture notes are used in recent classes for students from engineering, science, health sciences, mathematics, environmental studies, and the social sciences.
3. Market / Intended Audience / Sale Channels
Nuclear Science and Technology is intended for readers interested in science and technology. The contents are of interest in fields of astronomy, arms control, science, technology, social science, engineering, nuclear technology, nuclear medicine, and radiology. As such, this book is of interest to private and public libraries as well as the classrooms of students in science, engineering, environmental studies, radiology, nuclear medicine, and social studies if their future work involves any nuclear science and technologies. Currently, I am not aware of any current title that serves this market.
The first three chapters direct the reader to view energy as the driving force for all physical changes and to realize the simplicity of the physical world in terms of atoms, molecules, chemical elements and compounds. Expressing quantities that accompany the changes in numbers and units are emphasized. With this background, they easily can see phenomena exhibited by the small atomic nuclei. These phenomena include radioactivity, subatomic particles, nuclear reactions, fission and fusion reactions. Great amounts of energy are involved in these processes and these types of energy are applied in the forms of technology that affect our daily lives. This book addresses concerns of an educated public over nuclear technology.
Before my retirement, I had a class of 100 students enrolled in the lecture course each year, most of them from engineering. In addition, I had almost 70 students in a distance-education course during the summer. Now I have 100 requests in the spring term each year for the distance-education course. The number of requests exceeds normal distance-education courses. In view of the interest, I have decided to revise the lecture notes for a book, hoping that it will benefit my future students and help others to know more about nuclear problems.
4. Textbook Issues
Course Title: Nuclear Science and Technology
Target Students: Percentages vary due to university structure and distribution of students in various disciplines. The author’s class has approximately 50% engineering, 30% science, 10% mathematics, 10% environmental studies, health studies, social science, etc.
Level: An elective for university or college students who have an interest in science and technology and who are able to deal with quantitative aspects of physical sciences
Pedagogical aids: Learning objectives, summaries, examples, and problems for exercise will be given for each and all chapters. Instructors’ aids will also be available.
5. Key features
A mainly descriptive approach, using language that is easy to read and understand, introduces a very complicated but important field to general readers.
Effects of scientific concepts on the development of nuclear science and technology are pointed out throughout the book. Explicitly or implicitly the book tries to show how science and technology influence society and conversely.
The book will meet the challenge of interesting general readers as well as a textbook. It will have formulas, examples and problems clearly designated for textbook purpose, and general readers may skip them without losing the continuity.
6. Supplements
I already have constructed a website for the course, and I will update and maintain it to accompany the book. I will need help to make the website more sophisticated and active. I am willing to discuss the adventure with Infinity Science Press in order to construct something meaningful, useful and engaging as a supplement.
Supplements such as CD and DVD will be helpful for a book, especially to have an instructor’s manual in one of these formats. I am for the idea of having the book also available in the DVD or CD format in addition to the paper or print format, because future students may prefer these formats.
I will contribute and give suggestions to these supplements, and I do need help from Infinity Science Press to have helpful personnel to manage the material for the long term.
7. Competition or Market Spotters
The descriptive approach provides the concepts and theories for the readers to see, feel, and make sense of the nuclear phenomena. An honest, objective, and balanced view on this subject gives readers the basic facts on which they can make their own decisions on nuclear issues that are controversial at times, if not most of the time.
Brian Greene wrote The Elegant Universe (WW Norton & Company/New York and London 2003) using a descriptive approach to describe theoretical physics. Its market exploded, and a NOVA series has been produced. This book is mentioned to suggest another dimension (channel) of marketing (a market spotter).
The University of Waterloo does not have a nuclear engineering program, but its library stocks books dealing with nuclear engineering. For example, Nuclear Energy Technology by RA Knief (McGraw-Hill Book Co, 1981) is in our library because this it provides an overview of reactors for science and engineering professors and students. My proposed book has a similar market potential.
8. Production Issues
I am aiming at a book of 400-500 printed pages with black-and-white illustrations prepared by me. I want to include some photographs that are now in the public domain, but I think figures in color can be in the form of computer files included in the supplementary material such as CD, website or DVD, or whatever media are most convenient at the time of publication. If Infinity Science Press has an easy way of getting permissions for photographs and illustrations, it will be helpful but not necessary if getting permission becomes too troublesome and expensive. A picture is worth a thousand words; that means words can also do.
9. Scheduled Completion
Once the Book Proposal is approved, I will need two months to submit the first three chapters for Part I: Review of Basics for Background Preparation. I will finish half of the book in one year, and complete the project in two years.
10. System/Software Requirements
The supplements or the CD version will be able to run on most computers at the time of production. Rapid changes continue in the computer and IT industries, and the supplements will have to change with the main stream of technology, not too far ahead or behind.
11. Table of Contents (tentative)
Part I: Review of Basics for Background Preparation
The building blocks of materials in the physical world
The driving force of change
Intensive and extensive (quantitative) properties
Part II: Nuclear Science and Technology
The discovery of radioactivity and its implications
Particle accelerators
Subatomic particles and the standard model of matter
Stable and unstable nuclides and their transformations
Nuclear reactions for artificial isotopes and new elements
Nuclear fission, power and breeder reactors, and nuclear accidents
Nuclear fusion and its role in astronomy and thermonuclear bombs
Interaction of ionizing radiation with matter
Nuclear science and technology relating to human health
Outlook of nuclear technology
Appendices
Universal constants
Conversion factors
Some basic nuclear data
Index
12. Permissions, Previously Published, or Previously Under Contract
The lecture notes have been on my SCI270 course website for several years, and they are still on the website. However, the manuscript for this book will be very different from those. I, the author, have the copyright for the proposed book.
13. Reviewers
Professor GE Toogood who has taught a similar course before in this department has agreed to read and give suggestions while the manuscript is in preparation. Professor LJ Brubacher, former editor for Chem 13 News, has also agreed to help me polish the manuscript.
I will find reviewers later if Infinity Science Press so desires.
14. Resume
Chieh, Chung, Ph. D., professor emeritus
Degrees:
Ph.D. in chemical crystallography, University of British Columbia, 1969
M.Sc. in atomic and nuclear science, National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan, 1965
B.Sc. Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1963
Career:
1970-2004, Assistant to full professor (in 1987) and retired in 2004 from the Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
Continue teaching a distance-education course: SCI270 – Nuclear science and technology
Invited Chapters in Books:
Chieh, C. 1986. Some Interesting Relationships between Polyhedra and Crystal Structures. In "A Visit to the Polyhedra Kingdom", Edited by A. Loeb, Birkhauser, Pp 93-105
Chieh, C. 1987. Homometric Structures. In "Patterson and Pattersons", Edited by J.P. Gluskar and B. Patterson, Oxford University Press. Pp 576-591
Chieh, C. and Pearson, W.B. 1992. Crystallography. In "Encyclopedia of Applied Physics", Vol. C, edited by G.L. Trigg, VCH, American Institute of Physics publication. Pp 385-408
Chieh, C. 1994. Elegant States of Matter. In a University of Waterloo publication "Proceedings of G.F. Atkinson Symposium"
Chieh, C. 2006. 12. Fundamental Characteristics of Water. In: Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering. Vol. 1 edited by Hui YH. CRC Taylor & Francis Group, New York. Pp 12-1 – 12-17
Chieh, C. 2006. 5. Water Chemistry and Biochemistry. In: Food Biochemistry and Food Processing Edited by Hui YH. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, USA and Oxford, UK. Pp. 103 – 133
Chieh, C. 2006. Water (and baking). In “Baking Products: Science and Technology” Edited by Hui YH. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, USA and Oxford, UK. Pp. 211-232
Chieh, C. 2006. Water. In “Food Chemistry (a text book)”. Edited by Hui YH, in press
Papers published in refereed journals: 81
Other publications: Father of little soldiers (1991), a book in Chinese
Many articles in both English and Chinese in newspapers and magazines.
Courses Taught:
Nuclear science and technology (past and current), general chemistry, chemical engineering, inorganic chemistry, crystallography, solid-state chemistry, calculus, and computer science
Other Activities:
Gave invited talks in four Chinese universities on the following topics in 2006. Getting a Ph. D. and what to do with it; scientific inquiry; chemical education in Canada; science technology and society (STS).
Professional Affiliations:
I was member of the American Chemical Society, the American Crystallographic Association and the Chemical Institute of Canada.