A COSMIC RAY DETECTOR ARRAY FOR SCHOOLS IN THE CAMBRIDGE REGION

Particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology are areas of research that have captured the imagination of the general public in recent years. By giving school students first-hand experience of building and operating a particle detector and the analysis of the data in a collaborative environment we anticipate that they will gain a deeper insight into the many and diverse facets of experimental particle physics. Cosmic rays provide a readily available source of high energy particles and other projects have already exploited this in building arrays of cosmic ray detectors located in schools and linked together via the internet. We aim to extend this concept by creating our own network of detectors in our region with a particular emphasis on hands-on involvement by school students in the partner schools. This talk outlines our plans towards the implementation of this project and our wider goals of integrating our local network with other projects both nationally and internationally.