ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

A group of young fusion enthusiasts seems to be the first who managed to put the Sun in a box. In this case, though, the box is quite literal ... and contains a board game they invented to make learning about ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ easy and entertaining.

What will the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Tokamak weigh? What is the function of the breeding blankets? And at what temperature does the fusion reaction take place? Players are meant to work in teams to advance in this ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ version of Trivial Pursuit by answering these kinds of questions.

Just like with the original Trivial Pursuit, there are several categories of questions: design and technical aspects; thermonuclear physics; manufacturing and construction; safety, quality, security and regulations; project management; and general issues. Correctly answered questions are rewarded with small plastic tokens representing key structural components of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ machine.

As the game progresses, players collect the components to assemble a small 3D-printed model. The team that first completes its mini tokamak wins the game. And along the way all players gain a basic understanding of nuclear fusion and the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Project.

The board game was developed by a group of employees from Assystem, one of the companies in the consortium ENGAGE, the architect/engineer for ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ construction. Calling themselves Young Generation Fusion, they want to raise awareness about fusion energy and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ by creating projects that attract the attention of a wide audience.

In April, they had the chance to present ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Director-General Bernard Bigot with a copy of "Sun in a Box." They also present their creations at trade fairs and conferences.

--From left to right, Young Generation Fusioneers Eric Kruger, Clarisse Thouzeau, Guillaume Merriaux-Mansart and Gregory Thibault (Sebastien Lonjon and Camille Taberlet are not shown).