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The Cosmic Ray Observation Project was started in 1999 by PhD professors Gregory Snow and Daniel Claes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was designed to meet two goals: first, to study the patterns of arriving cosmic particles, and second, to interest high school students in careers in science (especially Physics). Through the use of detection equipment, CROP allows high schools to produce research quality data in a program that prepares their students for college level science and research. The project is unique at UNL due to its reliance on undergraduate students and community help. Through a collaborative effort, CROP has launched detectors all over the Midwest, and has encouraged four generations of high school students to further their science education.
UNL's Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) a National Science Foundation-funded project (through a new grant titled "Action-at-a-Distance" awarded under the ITEST program) is looking to expand the number of participating Nebraska high schools science teachers to serve as Lead Teachers for the 2016-2018 school year. If you are interested in participating, please complete and return the attached application form no later than May 15, 2016. If you have any questions, please e-mail mbaquerizo2@unl.edu or phone 402-472-6471.
News
October 29, 2015 -- Cosmic Rays Could Help Unlock the Secrets of the PyramidsThere is a long and colorful history of people trying to unlock the secret of how the Egyptian pyramids were built and possibly find hidden rooms and corridors, for good measure. And now, a new international project aims to peer through the stone walls of these ancient structures, using cosmic rays. To know more about the project and view a cool video about it click here....
August 04, 2015 -- How the Fantastic Four Got Their PowersIn advance of this week's movie premier, Dr.Claes Sci Pop Talks! presentation on the "The Radioactive Origins of the Fantastic Four" (done at the UNL Love Library this past spring) has been distilled into a 4-minute video produced by the American Chemical Society from my solicited script (run through a few rewrites with ACS staff) and released today on the ACS Reactions YouTube channel. You can watch it here....
June 15, 2015 -- Cosmic Ray Observatory to Explore HotspotA year ago, an international team of 125 scientists, including 32 from the University of Utah, announced the discovery of a cosmic ray hotspot, apparently the source of more incoming ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays than another other location in our sky. Today (June 15, 2015), University of Utah announced a planned $6.4 million expansion of its $25 million Telescope Array observatory with the goal of zeroing in on the hotspot and figuring out what it might be.To know more about this read the article here...
October 13, 2014 -- CRAYFIS - Cosmic RAYs Found In SmartphonesThe researchers from the University of California have drafted a paper in which they describe testing whether a smartphone camera can detect high energy photons and particles of the sort produced by cosmic rays. Testing with radioactive isotopes of radium, cobalt, and cesium showed that the detector easily picked up gamma rays (and you didn't even have to point the phones at the source!).To know more about this awesome discovery read the article here...
July 07, 2014 -- UNL leads $11.5M project to enhance atom smasherThe world's largest atom smasher has proved invaluable at answering fundamental questions about the nature of the universe, including finding the Higgs boson, but much remains unknown. A team of UNL physicists and collaborators at eight U.S. universities have received a five-year, nearly $11.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the effectiveness of a vital component of the supercollider that made the Higgs discovery possible.Read more...
June 03, 2014 -- CERN's ALPHA experiment measures charge of antihydrogenIn a paper published in the journal Nature Communications today, the ALPHA experiment at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator (AD) reports a measurement of the electric charge of antihydrogen atoms, finding it to be compatible with zero to eight decimal places. Although this result comes as no surprise, since hydrogen atoms are electrically neutral, it is the first time that the charge of an antiatom has been measured to high precision.Read more...
February 13, 2014 -- Mysterious Energy Ribbon at Solar System's Edge a 'Cosmic Roadmap'A strange ribbon of energy and particles at the edge of the solar system first spotted by a NASA spacecraft appears to serve as a sort of "roadmap in the sky" for the interstellar magnetic field, scientists say. Read more...
April 7, 2011 -- Fermilab data hint at possible new particleCall it the little particle accelerator that could. For the second time in weeks, the relatively small Tevatron at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., has found evidence of a possible new particle that would govern a new force in nature. Read more...
September 21, 2010 -- CROP website gets a make-over!Welcome to CROP's new home page! We hope you also think that the new site is much easier to navigate. We encourage you to explore the links to the left and check out some old and new information! Keep coming back, because we've got several pages still under construction.
September 1, 2010 -- Jorgensen Hall: UNL's new home for physics and astronomyThe Physics & Astronomy department at UNL has a new home! Jorgensen Hall officially opened its doors this summer, but the fall 2010 semester offers a full load of classes to students. Join us for a building dedication on October 29th! See the department website for more details.
June 30, 2010 -- Spintronics breakthrough documented by UNL MRSEC teamA team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Materials Research Science Engineering Center made a leap forward in modern spintronics, potentially revolutionizing information technology through reduced power consumption, faster processing speed and improved function compared to today's electronics.
Led by physicists in the UNL MRSEC, professors Christian Binek and Peter Dowben, together with theorist Kirill Belashchenko and collaborators published "Robust isothermal electric control of exchange bias at room temperature." The article appeared in the June 20 online edition of the journal Nature Materials, and will be published later in the print edition. Read more...