1. Programmable logic device Time-to-digital converters 5 Volt DC power To PC serial port Four analog PMT inputs Discriminator threshold adjust GPS input Event counter Developed by Univ. Nebraska, Fermilab (QuarkNet), Univ. Washington 43 Mhz (24 nsec) clock interpolates between GPS 1 pps for trigger time TDC’s give relative times of 4 inputs with 75 psec resolution 2 detectors firing at the same time Data stream for each event Event counter Elapsed run time PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) doped with a scintillating fluor 10 stage EMI 9256 photomultiplier tube Barometric Pressure (mmHg) 727 747 4-Fold Coincidences / 2 hours 3000 4200 Statistical errors shown 1.3% decrease per mmHg Marian High School’s Measurement of Cosmic Ray Rate vs. Barometric Pressure http://marian.creighton.edu/~besser/physics/barometer.html Mount Michael Benedictine High School “The Science Teacher”, November 2001 Cosmic Ray Observatory Project Collecting Data with CROP DAQ Card Interface Doing an Efficiency Scan 1.Disconnect the 4 signal cables from the DAQ card. These are the cables connected to your 4 detectors. 2.Open the CROP_DAQ LabVIEW Program. 3. Click on the "Efficiency" tab make sure the Efficiency Scan button is ON(lit up). 4. Click on "Threshold Scan" tab; make sure the Threshold Scan button is OFF. 5. Click "Data Collection Settings" tab and set the timer ON (green button lit). 6. Click the "Data Acquisition" tab and to begin run click on (upper left corner of menu bar). http://crop.unl.edu/tutorials/ Online help and tutorials available: On-Line Oscilloscope Cheat Sheets http://unlhep2.unl.edu/~CROP/oscihomepage.html A Statewide Outreach and Education Experiment in Nebraska The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project Daniel Claes & Gregory Snow Supported by the National Science Foundation 60 cm  60 cm x 1.25 cm Teaches and students trained in intensive workshop experiences Examples of independent student projects Online resources Photomultiplier tubes are working! http://crop.unl.edu Ben Plowman, Lincoln High School state finalist in the American Junior Academy of Sciences invited to present at the Washington, DC, meeting (February 2005) Rudy Resch and Kent Shirer presented a poster on their follow-up work at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Phoenix, May 2005) and placed fourth in the physics category. Two removal trips (September 1999, May 2001) yielded over 2000 scintillator panels, 2000 PMTs, 500 power supplies Sufficient hardware for all Nebraska high schools 100 mile circles centered on selected Education Service Unit (ESU) office locations show how at least 1 of 3 planned annual training workshops can be within a day’s trip of every school in the state. Workshop locations will be rotated among the 19 ESUs during our expansion phase. Typical school setup and schools enlisted During the first 5 years of the project. CROP has now trained 36 science instructors and over 150 students, representing 29 school teams, in the hands-on maintenance and use of their own student-built cosmic ray particle detectors. Data acquisition card and LabView interface Expansion Plans engaging teams of high school teachers and students in a genuine long-term cross-disciplinary research experience: studying correlations of extended cosmic ray air showers across the state of Nebraska Summer 2005 Workshop included an overnight shower array on the lawn equipment recycled & refurbished from the Chicago Air Shower Array