By rating the viability of each topic based on researchability, specificity, and personal interest the group came to the

conclusion to write about the Chernobyl disaster. We initially looked for sources that contained information regarding the nature of the accident, how it occurred, and the immediate and long-term aftermath. After gaining enough context of the event understanding of its scope, we searched for specific and primary sources. The group found many documents with writing by Soviet scientists and newspapers, as well as previously secret documents that were released in Russian which, along with US news articles written at the time, gave insight into the secretive and negligent practices of the Soviet government as well as that of the workers tending the nuclear plant. We were then able to obtain various books relevant to the topic, one of which was a personal account from the disaster. Later, we found a transcript of an interview from a Chernobyl liquidator, as well as news articles reporting similar accounts. After noticing gaps and blanks within our thesis and overall argument, the group narrowed its search to sources that pertained to both broad contexts and extremely specific concepts. Government records and documents along with broad narratives of Russias nuclear record have been on our radar to help refine, unify and modify our argument in regards to rights & responsibilities. We chose to create a website because they are accessible, portable when printed, easy to edit, modern, and presentable. The Chernobyl disaster has implications that are profound both in terms of the immediate effects as well as in terms of more distant impacts. Each of these effects showcases the issues that are central to this years History Fair: rights and responsibilities. On the immediate level, Chernobyl demonstrates the importance of the right to information, as is shown in the Constitution of Ukraine and the Glasnost reform - and thus the responsibility to transmit information, which is contradicted by the Soviet governments refusal to acknowledge the issue concerning Chernobyl until western countries reported abnormally high radiation levels. The USSRs failure to abide by its glasnost reform policy manifested itself on a grand scale when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The effects of Chernobyl also extend to human rights, as it is clear that the USSRs delayed response to the radiation caused cancer and deaths that could have been prevented. Additionally, Chernobyl illustrates the issue of responsibilities regarding nuclear power and the ethical questions surrounding it. A lasting effect of Chernobyl has been the realization of the destructive potential of nuclear power, which has led to questions concerning its safety as well as greater regulation of protocol and the acknowledgement of the responsibilities in maintaining the nuclear industry. The concern even expands to international nuclear affairs, whereby the international community ought to exert responsible behaviors in stepping up and offering help when such an accident occurs.