Meet the man with a nuclear reactor in his basement

Katie Herzog uses a radiation detector on the nuclear fusion reactor at Northwest Nuclear Laboratories in Federal Way. (Image grab from a video by Sarah Hoffman/KCTS 9)

In the basement of a quiet residential street in a suburb of Federal Way resides the ultimate home science experiment — a nuclear fusion reactor. Microsoft IT manager Carl Greninger created Northwest Nuclear Laboratories, a space in his home for local a high school to conduct their own research projects on the device. The hope: to cultivate the next generation of nuclear scientists and problem solvers.

In this episode of Reinventors, host Katie Herzog visits Greninger's home to find out more about his nuclear fusion reactor and what it's like to have it in his basement.

ReInventors is produced by KCTS 9 and PBS Digital Studios. Each episode features scientists, inventors and tinkerers who are reimagining the basic elements of our everyday lives.

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