Idaho National Lab Nuclear Science Trailer Brings STEM Experiences to Laramie

An Idaho National Laboratory mobile classroom will pull into Laramie this weekend, bringing hands-on nuclear science education to Wyoming students at a moment when the state is positioning itself as a hub of the nation's nuclear energy revival.

The INL Nuclear Science Trailer launches a two-day Wyoming tour in Laramie on Monday, April 13, visiting local schools alongside the regional Environmental Protection Agency's science outreach team before anchoring a public reception that evening from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at UW's Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center at 222 S. 22nd St. On Tuesday, the trailer heads southwest, stopping at schools in Rock Springs and Kemmerer before returning to INL's base in Idaho Falls.

The evening reception is part of the Nuclear Energy Emerging Issue Forum, a two-day event co-convened by the University of Wyoming's Ruckelshaus Institute, the UW School of Energy Resources, and the Wyoming Energy Authority. The forum runs at the Rochelle Gateway Center through Tuesday, April 14, and is designed to help Wyoming communities build a working understanding of the full nuclear fuel cycle, weighing both the benefits and the risks of nuclear projects taking root across the state.

The trailer itself is a mobile education platform built to engage learners of all ages, guiding visitors through interactive exhibits that move from the fundamentals of atoms and elements to nuclear energy's real-world applications. Across both days of the Wyoming tour, the trailer is expected to reach hundreds of students in classrooms.

The choice of Rock Springs and Kemmerer as follow-on stops carries practical weight. Western Wyoming Community College launched the state's first nuclear associate's degree program in 2024, while TerraPower is actively constructing its next-generation Natrium nuclear power plant just outside Kemmerer, with hundreds of workers already on site and a full-scale training center under construction there.

The public reception on Monday evening at the Rochelle Gateway Center is open to all. Questions about the forum or the trailer visit can be directed to Birch Malotky, emerging issues initiative coordinator for the Ruckelshaus Institute, at bmalotky@uwyo.edu.