Using the QuarkNet Cosmic Ray Detector and e-Lab as an Undergraduate Student Project

The QuarkNet (http://quarknet.fnal.gov) Cosmic Ray Detector is a robust, transportable cosmic ray detection system designed for educational use. Over 200 detectors have been installed in high schools, laboratories, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and in several other countries. These detectors are tied into a network by means of the QuarkNet Cosmic Ray e-Lab (http://quarknet.fnal.gov/e-labs). Students and educators can upload data to the e-Lab and use its online tools to analyze not only their own data but any data that has been uploaded from any QuarkNet detector. Datasets may be compared and/or joined together for analysis as deemed appropriate. There is an online poster session in which analysis results may be presented and discussed. The author is a QuarkNet staff member and also in charge of the Hampton University Undergraduate Physics Seminar class; Hampton undergraduate physics students were engaged in construction and commissioning of a detector in fall 2006. In spring 2007, students will continue to commission the detector and use the e-Lab to analyze its performance.