Transforming education with the Timepix detector - Ten years of CERN@school

Abstract

The history and use of the Timepix detector as an educational tool is outlined. The CERN@school project which lends the Timepix technology to schools has been developing for the last ten years with over 300 schools involved and thousands of students. Resource materials and online support is available and schools have used the technology both to support curriculum activities and provide stimulus for student research. Student work includes research on radiation levels during a solar eclipse and a payload launched in space. Research projects with the Timepix technology have led to the development of the Langton Ultimate Cosmic ray Intensity Detector (LUCID) which has enabled students to develop an understanding of radiation in space and large scale data analysis. Feedback on the impact of these projects is discussed alongside plans for expansion of access to this technology. Possibilities for progress in the next ten years are suggested to include the gradual replacement of the Geiger Müller tube in schools with this technology. This would make invisible ionising radiation visible and transform the understanding young people have of radiation. Alongside this transformation of the teaching and learning of radioactivity there is potential for further development of student expertise in analysing data from Timepix detectors in space. The opportunities this technology offers to students in school are vast and students have valuable roles to play in the use and application of the technology over the next ten years. It is hoped that not only are these developments in the UK but also across Europe and beyond.