Informative Speech Outline

Informative Speech: Nuclear Energy
Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to inform others about the production, utilizations and impacts of nuclear energy.
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Attention Getter: When most people think of nuclear energy, the first thing that comes to their minds is a devastating bomb explosion or a nuclear power plant meltdown. But, in reality, nuclear energy is a sustainable energy source that has an enormous variety of uses.

B. Thesis: The uses of nuclear energy range from being a clean, renewable energy source to cutting edge medical procedures.

C. Credibility: The world's first exposure to nuclear energy came with the detonation of two atomic bombs in Japan in 1945. Scientists perceived a positive aspect of these terrible events; they hoped that the power of nuclear energy could be harnessed for human good. Those hopes have been recognized, but to only a small extent. Starting in the 1970s, opposition to nuclear power rose.

D. Preview: I will be talking about only a fraction of the production, applications and effects /rewards of nuclear energy. Including:
i. What nuclear energy is and how nuclear energy is made. ii. Uses of nuclear energy. iii. Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy.
Transition: First, Let’s explore what nuclear energy is and how it is made.
BODY
First Main Point
II. Nuclear energy is any method of doing work that makes use of nuclear fission or nuclear fusion reactions. The term refers to both the uncontrolled release of nuclear energy, as in atomic weapons, and to the controlled release of energy, as in nuclear power plants.
A. Nuclear fission
i. Nuclear fission, occurs when an atom splits in two, releasing a massive amount of energy and several subatomic particles called neutrons. These neutrons hit and split other atoms, beginning and sustaining the chain reaction.
B. Nuclear fusion
i. Nuclear fusion is a process in which atomic nuclei are fused together to form heavier nuclei. Extremely high temperatures force nuclei together and large amounts of energy are released when this happens.
Transition: Now that we know how nuclear energy is produced, let’s talk about some ways it is utilized in modern society.
Second Main Point
III. Uses of nuclear energy
A. Nuclear power plants use heat created by nuclear reactions to heat water and create steam which turn turbines to produce power.
i. Reactor operators control the chain reaction created by nuclear fission to regulate the amount of heat generated and energy produced. ii. The fuel for this process is the metal uranium. It must be enriched before it can be used for producing energy because mined uranium is around 99.3% uranium-238, it does not split easily when exposed to neutrons, which makes it a poor fuel. The other 0.7% of mined uranium is uranium-235, which makes excellent fuel. The enrichment process consists of increasing the ratio of uranium-235 to uranium-238.

B. The medical field also benefits from nuclear energy. Nuclear medicine is a field of medicine in which radioactive materials are used to diagnose and treat medical disorders
i. Certain chemical elements tend to concentrate in one part of the body. For example, nearly all of the iodine that we consume goes to the thyroid gland. ii. The radioactive form of an element acts in the same way the nonradioactive form does. When a person ingests iodine it concentrates in the thyroid gland whether it is in a radioactive or nonradioactive form.
a. If a doctor believes that a patient may have a disease of the thyroid gland, they may be given a mixture to drink that contains radioactive iodine. The radioactive iodine passes into the thyroid gland where it can be detected. The doctor knows what the behavior of a normal thyroid gland is and the behavior of the patients’ can be compared to this norm to diagnose a problem. iii. Radioactive elements can also be used to treat medical disorders because of the radiation they emit. Radiation can kill cells. This can be dangerous because anyone exposed to high levels of radiation may become ill and can even die. But the cell-killing ability of radiation also has advantages. Radiation can be used to destroy the cells responsible for cancer because cancer cells grow much faster than normal cells.

Transition: Although nuclear energy has many uses that are advantageous, there are also certain drawbacks to its use.
Third Main Point
IV. Advantages/Disadvantages to nuclear energy
A. Nuclear energy can be one of the safest, cleanest, and most practical forms of power generation today.
i. In the event a nuclear power plant is cut off from an electrical supply, generators power safety systems that cool the reactor. New plant designs use circulating air and water moved by the heat of the core to cool the reactor, which means the safety system does not require human intervention or power to operate. In the event that radioactive material leaks from the core of a power plant containment domes can control it.

B. Although nuclear power plants have various safety measures built in, nuclear accidents can still occur.
i. Nuclear power, while being a source for cheap, clean energy, can be extremely expensive, mainly when it comes to the construction, maintenance, and retiring of plants. Despite claims by nuclear energy advocates that just two major accidents have occurred, at least 100 nuclear accidents involving loss of life or property damage were recorded between 1952 and 2009. ii. On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced a 9.0 magnitude earthquake 130 kilometers off shore. Due to a tsunami triggered by this earthquake, three of the Fukushima nuclear power plant's six reactors suffered a meltdown. This catastrophe released radioactive material into the atmosphere equal to 168 atomic bombs and was rated at Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
As mentioned earlier, the information I have provided is only a small percentage about the manufacture of and the uses of nuclear energy. However, antinuclear and environmental groups continue to contest nuclear energy production.
V. Conclusion
A. Despite the cleanliness, safety, and efficiency of nuclear energy and despite the fact that the fuel for it is unlimited, unlike fossil fuels, opposition to it rages on. Countless regulations are restricting the industry owing to inspiration by environmentalist groups.
Nuclear power is one of the greatest advancements of mankind. Yet the nuclear industry is attacked daily. The people who advocate these attacks either do not understand what nuclear power is or they choose to purposely misrepresent it. Either way, they are engaging in a disservice against everyone on the planet who benefits from this technology. Now is the time to recognize nuclear power as the clean and safe source of energy that it is. It is time to recognize this good for being good.