Engaging middle- and high-school students with cloud chambers

Cloud chambers are one of the few devices that allows students and scientists alike to "see" subatomic particles, or at least directly observe these particles' immediate effects on their environment. For more than 10 years, Siena College students have improved upon a cloud chamber design that uses Peltier thermocoolers, rather than dry ice, to create the cold region necessary to see the trails left behind by radioactive decay products and cosmic rays. In the summer of 2024, students added even more design elements that make it easier to assemble these devices in a shorter period of time. That same summer, we partnered with faculty and staff at nearby Union College to facilitate two (2) days of their Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) to engage with middle- and high-school students from historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities. We gave lectures on topics such as cosmic rays and radiation. On the first day, students helped build parts of the cloud chambers and on the second day, they used their cell phones to take videos to analyze and locate cosmic rays. Our experiences with both the cloud chamber and the STEP program will be shared.