On December 19, 2020, we held the cosmic ray exploration event “Tan-Q — Exploring the Mystery of the Universe Through Cosmic Rays” at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo, as a community outreach program of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI). The event let junior high and high school students, teachers, and members of the public experience hands-on science using a small cosmic ray detector.
The event was held in two parts.
In the first part, a seminar titled “Exploring the Mystery of the Universe Through Cosmic Rays,” Associate Professor Mizuki Yoshioka of Kyushu University’s Research Center for Advanced Particle Physics spoke about what cosmic rays are and introduced cutting-edge research in the field.
In the second part, a hands-on session titled “The Real Deal!! Let’s Catch Cosmic Rays!”, Assistant Professor Kazuki Ueno (SOKENDAI / KEK Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies) served as moderator, and Assistant Professor Masashi Otani (SOKENDAI / KEK Accelerator Laboratory) led the hands-on activity. Participants worked alongside graduate students and early-career researchers, getting hands-on with OSECHI to measure invisible cosmic rays and share their results with each other.
