| Students from across Nebraska have been contributing to advanced
physics research. The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) integrates
high schools, colleges, and universities into a network measuring
the behavior of cosmic rays. The first five schools began participating
in the summer of 2000. Last summer, Lincoln High, Lincoln Lutheran,
Wayne State College, Omaha Westside, Anselmo-Merna, and Osceola joined
the program.
Dr. Daniel Claes, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
at UNL, explained that stars produce the vast majority of cosmic
rays. However, current knowledge fails to explain the existence
of extremely high energy cosmic particles. By placing detectors
on top of high schools, researchers hope to answer such questions
as "Where do these high energy particles originate?" and
"What astronomical objects cause high energy particles?"
When a school first joins the network, three students and one teacher
work at UNL for four weeks to learn about the equipment and to prepare
it for usage. An NSF grant provides stipends of $60 per day for
teachers and $40 per day for students.
The schools that began the program in 2000 conducted a series of
tests to measure the accuracy of their detectors and their ability
to use them. The students reported their results in April 2001 to
an audience that included Nobel Prize winner Dr. Jim Cronin. "I
love to see the students' excitement over learning about cosmic
rays," said Dr. Claes.
The program is seeking 6 more high schools to participate in 2002.
For more information, contact Dr. Claes at dclaes@unlhep.unl.edu. |
