Chris-NSF
From MariachiWiki
Cosmic Chris goes to Washington
Tara Terzella (Hauppauge HS) and Cosmic Chris went to Washington DC in February to take part in the NSF QuarkNet review. Chris was there to show his ability to detect and count cosmic rays. Chris was invented by Tara during one of the summers she spent at BNL as a DOE LSTPD teacher. During lunch we were wondering what could be done to bring cosmic rays to the classroom other than using the ugly black plastic scintillators. A human figure with scintillators inside! What a clever idea!! We all got very excited and got to work right away. Every year Chris goes through an upgrade process. The first version of Cosmic Chris had one thick scintillator only and did not count cosmic rays accurately. Later versions implemented by Stony Brook MAT students included 2 scintillators and a coincidence board. The last version (as is today) addresses robusteness and portability. Chris has a rechargeable battery and it is totally autonomous. He can go places.
