Fusion Day With A Slice Of Pi

I’m just a fusion supporter on Capitol Hill

Fusion Day 2019 falls on Thursday, March 14th, Pi Day!

What is PI (π) Day?

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14. That’s 3.14. π Pi! It’s a day to celebrate math in general, and our favorite irrational number in particular. There are many ways to celebrate Pi day. These astronauts are celebrating by lifting off at 3:14 today!

Here are some ideas for how you can celebrate, and festivities to join!

You could also watch the movie, Pi. And that other movie, Life of Pi. That’s 2π. Throw in an r (R rating?) and you’ll have the area covered. No wait! That’s just the circumference. Heh!

Bad Pi(e) puns abound on this day.

What is Fusion Day?

“Fusion Day” is an annual event coordinated by members of the fusion community. They’ve been doing this for years! At present, “Fusion Day” is a government relations event, an outreach from fusion scientists and institutions to politicians on Capitol Hill.

On this day, representatives of the various labs, universities and fusion projects make their way to our nation’s capital to visit their district’s congressional representatives, senators, and members of various committees. Not everyone goes, and not every fusion project is represented as “labs want to spend their congressional brownie points in a certain way.” There is strategy behind these meetings. Appointments are made in advance.

Activities begin with a casual dinner the night before (Wednesday, March 13th) to talk strategy. On Thursday morning, the group meets for breakfast in close proximity to the House Office Buildings. There, they hear from a guest speaker from Capitol Hill about budgetary expectations in the upcoming legislative year. Then, people break up into groups and head out to lobby educate their representatives.

That’s great! Now let’s turn it up a notch.

What can I do to be a part of Fusion Day?

There’s a lot you can do, from right where you are!

The object of fusion day is to “educate members of Congress and their staff about the importance and promise of fusion energy research and plasma science.” You can participate by calling or writing your representatives in the same spirit, telling them how you value fusion.

How To Contact Your Representatives:

To find out who your Senators are, go to http://senate.gov. For your Representatives, go to http://house.gov. Put your zip code into the top-right corner and you’re on your way!

Once you have their contact information, reach out to your representatives and let them know you support fusion and would appreciate it if they did as well. And thank them if they are already supporting it! Your representatives need to hear some supportive words! It’s a tough job.

For more tips on how to advocate for a cause, check out the great resources of Citizens Climate Lobby. And heads up! It would be great to have a Citizens Fusion Lobby guidelines. Who’s up for putting one together? That would be super awesome.

In Particular, Contact the Appropriations Committee

Fusion Day participants are encouraged to contact representatives who support fusion as well as those who may be unfamiliar with, or indifferent to, fusion.

Most importantly, you are encouraged to contact the Senators and Congressmen on the house and Senate appropriations committees. They have a unique influence on fusion funding decisions, so it is vital that you contact them with your message. If you see someone from your state on the following lists — please contact them:

1. Members of the House Appropriations Committee; Especially the ones on the House Energy and Water subcommittee
2. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, especially those on the Energy and Water Subcommittee

Contact Your Alma Matter

Fusion funding doesn’t just happen at the Government level. The next time you are considering a donation to your alma mater, ask them if they have a fusion program and if you can direct your donation to that — or help them fundraise for the school and earmark the funds to that program. Steady funding of research programs beats yo yo funding and moonshots.

Other Organizations Active For Fusion

What’s your go-to organization for information on fusion energy? Some of our favorites include:

• Fusion Industry Association
• American Security Project
• And more! Who do you recommend? Let us know in the comments so we can add them here.

Where can I get my Fusion Day T-Shirt?

Great question! There should be an official Fusion Day T-Shirt. Fusion support T-shirts in general. Fusion Etsy shops. Who’s doing this? Do you have cool pro-fusion T-shirts? Where can we get one? We’d love to share your designs with others. There are many ways to show your love for fusion.

So, let’s see some designs! A variety! Promote your favorite fusion approach, slogan, aspiration, device, fuel! There are so many options to choose from. On that note, further down the line, we’d like to see Fusion League Jerseys — with divisions and teams/labs, devices sporting their logo and colors.

So many ways to fuse, so little time!