The Fabricator - September 2013

;e new regulations also modify distribution, possession, and use requirements for small quantities of source material that can be used or transferred without a specific license. Distributors of small quantities must now apply for specific licenses. For source material being processed or in a dispersible form, such as liquid or powder, the limit on the use or transfer at any one time without a license has decreased from 15 to 3. 3 lbs.; the annual limit drops from 150 to 15. 4 lbs. Limits have not changed for anyone possessing source material in a solid, non-dispersible form (such as display samples of depleted uranium metal), removing uranium from drinking water, or determining the concentration of uranium and thorium in a material at a laboratory.

Finally, the new regulations expand the exemption from licensing for optical lenses containing thorium to include lenses and mirrors coated with or containing uranium or thorium. ;ese products are typically used in lasers or other high-technology optical systems.

;ese new license requirements and possession limits are intended to ensure those who possess source material do so safely, and that the NRC has a better understanding of how much source material is being distributed annually.

Sierra College takes
applied approach to
teaching critical thinking

In response to the growing demand for graduates with critical thinking skills, the Sierra College STEM Collaborative, Rocklin, Calif., has established a professional development program: Applied Critical ;inking for Advanced Technological Education (ACTivATE).

In June faculty from Northwestern Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching trained 12 Sierra College and high school faculty to develop curriculum that incorporates applied critical thinking. ;rough a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant— Enhancing Critical ;inking in STEM Disciplines: A Faculty Development Model—the Searle Center designed, piloted, and studied a science, tech-

Sierra College takes applied approach to teaching critical thinking (continued) NRC finalizes rules on
using and distributing
uranium, thorium (continued)

nology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty development program focused on improving higher-order learning outcomes of STEM students.

“;e strong ties that Sierra College has with employ-
ers will lead to the incorporation of current workplace
applications into critical thinking lessons. Faculty will be
able to use real examples from local businesses,” said Carol
Pepper-Kittredge, director of the Center for Applied Com-
petitive Technologies (CACT) and manager of the Sierra
College STEM Collaborative.

;rough April 2014 the ACTivATE project will support participants as they develop new approaches to teach applied critical thinking in their classrooms. Instructors also will develop and test hands-on demonstrations to assess students’ understanding and align with the new common core state standards.

• Standard 10” tall segmented tooling ( 11 guage mild steel)

• Point and click 3D programming (fast, simple)

• Imports DXF, STP and GEO files • Folds flanges up and down (no flipping)

• Suction table holds and positions parts after loading

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