On January 13, 2020, we held the cosmic ray exploration workshop “Tan-Q” at Hiroo Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo, together with junior high and high school students from across the country, doing a hands-on cosmic ray measurement exercise using cosmic ray detectors.
Participants split into four teams and measured how the rate of cosmic rays reaching a detector changed between the upper floors of a building and ground level.
After the exercise, students from Waseda University Honjo Senior High School and Hiroo Gakuen High School — both already active in cosmic ray exploration — gave presentations about their activities.
Assistant Professor Kazuki Ueno of KEK’s Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies then introduced OSECHI, a cosmic ray detector built by repurposing an actual jubako (a traditional Japanese tiered lacquer box). Everyone in attendance was surprised and intrigued to see such an unexpected everyday item become a tool for research.
The workshop closed with a session connecting participants with researchers who had traveled from abroad. Kenn, the representative of QuarkNet — an outreach program run mainly in the United States — gave an introduction to the program.
Feedback from the post-workshop participant survey included comments like, “I was surprised that even high school students could connect with university professors and go this deep into research!” and “I got to experience something I normally never would — it was fun, and I’d love to join again.”