Proviso West and PMSA students sharpened their physics and exploratory skills over the summer through participation in the QuarkNet summer workshop hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago.

QuarkNet seeks to involve high-school teachers and their students in cutting-edge research on the structure of matter and the fundamental forces of nature. During the summer, scientists work with teachers and students on physics projects that enhance their ability in science and discovery. This year, participants assembled cosmic ray detectors.

“QuarkNet was a wonderful experience,” said Proviso West Junior Latoyia Sias. “It was enjoyable, informative, and just fascinating. Our cosmic ray detectors actually went off and showed that there was a small cosmic shower that passed through the area. We made our own detectors and were able to test and collect data.”

Since 2003, Proviso High School students have been monitoring the showers of cosmic rays which naturally travel from the upper atmosphere to the surface of the earth. The data collected from more than 300 teams distributed across North America is shared as students, teachers, and their university mentors work to understand the frequency and distribution of these high energy events.

From July 6-10, the High Energy Physics teams from Proviso West and PMSA along with students from other Chicagoland high schools and colleges participated in this scientific adventure. During the Workshop, students traveled to both the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Adler Planetarium where working scientists shared their insights about cosmic ray research.

The workshop concluded with each team presenting their initial research findings before their peers and the UIC QuarkNet Center mentor, Professor Mark Adams.

Congratulations to the following students for their hard work and participation:

Proviso West HEP Team Members

Latoyia Sias
Dionne Eskridge
Bianca Barajas

PMSA HEP Team Members are

Nigel Jackson
Freddy Cardenas

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