Teacher Academy


Creating Access to World Class Science and Engineering for K-12 Teachers and Students

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		Workshop Review

		Cal Teach Group Investigation - Cosmic Ray Detectors with Wing Choy Cosmic rays are produced in our atmosphere when high-energy particles (mostly protons, alpha particles, and C/N/O nuclei) from outer space interact with atmospheric particles. This reaction produces new particles including pions, which decay into muons detectable on the surface of Earth as cosmic rays. The two main sources of cosmic rays are our sun and supernovae. They typically have a range of energies between 10⁹ electron volts to 10²⁰ electron volts. Students measured cosmic rays outdoors and in the basement of a lab building to see the difference in the amount of cosmic rays without shielding. Students determined how many muon hits were recorded in various intervals Student Objectives: Understand the components of a cosmic ray detector and how they work together Learn to use and perform experiments with Cosmic Ray Detectors to test multiple hypotheses Learn to meticulously record data and interpret experimental results Learn about the scientific method and concepts regarding the nature of science Learn the concepts of cosmic rays, muons, Theory of Special Relativity, square root of n count (SD of nuclear chemistry), square root of n over n times 100 (% error), time dilation Relate today’s activity/lesson to concepts of cosmology such as particle physics with the Large Hadron Collider, constituents of early universe, dark matter/dark energy. CRD Worksheet pdf Watch Video on YouTube Review of all Cal Teach Cosmology Stations Cosmic Ray Detectors Baryonic Oscillations Infrared Spectroscopy Acceleration of Gravity Inverse Square Law
		Tour of the Advanced Light Source Research Facility - Video BCCP Teacher Academy Director Rollie Otto led a tour of The Advanced Light Source (ALS), a division of Berkeley Lab. The ALS is a national user facility that generates intense light for scientific and technological research. As one of the world's brightest sources of ultraviolet and soft x-ray beams (and the world's first third-generation synchrotron light source in its energy range) the ALS makes previously impossible studies possible. The facility welcomes researchers from universities, industries, and government laboratories around the world. Visit the ALS website.
		Presentations - students work on cosmology presentations for final day
		Cyber Reflections Students and Teachers summarize learning using Facebook and Inspiration software
		21st Century Cosmology Astronomy Particle Physics Nuclear Science Mt. Diablo Field Trip Dark Energy Dark Matter The Large Hadron Collider and the Higgs Particle Final Day: Student presentations Workshop homepage