All posts

Blog

Here, I discuss anything energy related, from fusion technology to seaweed biofuels, and even German nuclear energy policy in the Cold War. Check back every Sunday for new posts!

View more resources

Must-use Resources!!!!

Hello y’all! As usual, there are a couple of new articles posted on the resources page for you to skim and review. However, this post...

All posts

joann yu

Jul 13, 20232 min read

Iron Man Part II: The Marvels of Fission V.S. Fusion

What have you heard about fusion before? Clean, efficient, energy of the future? Well, while Part I of the Iron Man blog series was...

Environment, Economy, & Energy

joann yu

Jul 3, 20233 min read

Real-Life Tony Stark: Iron Man’s Arc Reactor

We all know Iron Man’s (the best Avenger) iconic suit: brilliant gold and a little hot rod red. What is almost just as iconic is the...

Environment, Economy, & Energy

joann yu

Jul 3, 20233 min read

Conclusion: Pendulum Swinging

Throughout the Cold War, America’s pendulum on atomic energy restrictions swung between secrecy and openness according to its...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20231 min read

Part VII: Faulty Foundations, Faulty Results

The structures of aggression between the two superpowers created a cycle that hurt the growth of commercial nuclear energy worldwide:...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20233 min read

Part VI: Case Study During the Pivot — West Germany

Although ideologically aligned with the United States, West Germany engaged in vital nuclear energy diplomacy with the Soviet Union...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20234 min read

Part V: Case Study During the Pivot — Japan

American support, necessary to cement their influence in Asia, as well as Japanese nationalism and energy interests, played an equally...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20238 min read

Part IV: Downfall and Politicization

Although the International Atomic Energy Agency was created to rise above Cold War divisions and manage nuclear materials and sales, the...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20233 min read

Part III: Change in Perspective: a Pivot

Although the United States did indeed help install commercial nuclear energy internationally through Atoms for Peace, the easing of...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20234 min read

Part II: Further Down the Road

Although the United States attempted to isolate civilian nuclear technology from atomic weapon secrets, the government prioritized...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20234 min read

Part I: Setting the Stage

The cautious American foreign policy regarding their Soviet allies during the development of the atomic bomb preemptively set the two...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20233 min read

Introduction: Secrecy, Influence, and Limitations

A black and white photograph of Vice President Harry S. Truman and President Franklin D. Roosevelt sitting side by side at a white...

Hot Reactors in a Cold War

joann yu

Jun 25, 20233 min read

Seaweed: More than Just Weeds of the Sea

Fields of blacked-out solar planes, majestic white windmills that span rolling hills, vast electrical dams for hydropower… numerous...

Environment, Economy, & Energy

joann yu

Jun 25, 20232 min read