OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Over the weekend, the world will go to theaters to learn about how Robert Oppenheimer helped lead the development of the atomic bomb — the weapon that changed the dynamics of war. "Oppenheimer" is slated to premiere in theaters on July 21.
In Oak Ridge, many students are already familiar with him. On Wednesday, there was a panel discussion about the movie at Oak Ridge High School. It was open for anyone to attend.
Oppenheimer was a leading researcher of the atomic bomb and worked with other figures behind the secretive Manhattan Project. Oak Ridge was built for that project, later becoming its headquarters and giving researchers and workers and place to live while enriching uranium.
"We're all kind of the sons and daughters of people that work at the lab. So, we're all kind of just in STEM and surrounded by staff," said Isabella Zolnierczuk, a senior at Oak Ridge High School. "I get to talk about the future of AI. As a woman in STEM, that just, it's everything to me."
She dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon, and her father is an experimental scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Around 1,500 high schoolers live in Oak Ridge.
"Being here in Oak Ridge, this is such steeped in history, community and backdrop. It's impressive that we're able to be a part of this," said Trent Di Giulio, director of Oppenheimer After Trinity.
Oppenheimer After Trinity is a separate documentary exploring the creation and immediate effects after the testing of the atomic bomb.
Wednesday's panel also had scientists helping lead artificial intelligence research. Lynn Parker is the director of the AI Tennessee Initiative at the University of Tennessee.
"It's so important for people to have AI literacy, meaning that they learn about what AI is — what it can do, what it shouldn't do, and how we can use it responsibly," said Parker.
That initiative is meant to support the use of artificial intelligence in a variety of fields like manufacturing, agriculture, health, mobility and research. She said that AI is heading down a similar path as nuclear physics — helping shape visions of the future.
Oppenheimer will showcase work done at ORNL and in New Mexico to build the atomic bomb and explore the impact it had on the world. It's slated to release alongside another much-hyped film — Barbie.