The CNS Ionising Radiation Workshop [maximum 25 participants]

The CNS Ionising Radiation Workshop introduces high school senior teachers to the CNA Website, the Interactive Chart of the Nuclides, and the use of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) with a high sensitivity Geiger-Müeller detector that interfaces to a personal computer in the classroom. Example experiments and data analysis methods are reviewed. The workshop material is available for download at www.cns-snc.ca. On this occasion, up to 20 Geiger Kits will be available for donation at the Conference to Canadian high schools that have not yet received one. Teachers from schools that have a Kit are encouraged to bring their kit and laptop to the workshop. Teachers with Windows® laptops will be able to install the software on their computer and use one of the Geiger kits available for donation. If you have a vintage single lens reflex camera from the 1970’s you may wish to bring the lens to determine if it contains thorium. It really is possible to teach some nuclear physics without anything that resembles a traditional source. Bring your old ionisation smoke detector, piece of ceramic tile, sample of fertilizer for testing.

Bryan White is a member of the Education and Communication Committee of the Canadian Nuclear Society. He graduated with an Engineering Physics degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1970, and a MSc. (plasma physics) in 1972. He terminated his studies in 1973 and worked for Environment Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans before joining Atomic Energy of Canada in 1984. Bryan retired in 2004 to kayak, sail, and ski with his wife Carol (a retired high school math teacher) in Deep River.