Physics (13) Intellectual Merit: Recruiting, retaining, and educating the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students and teachers has been identified as one key factor in maintaining the economic strength of the United States. Another significant challenge is to communicate the excitement and value of scientific research beyond the traditional research community. This project addresses these issues by developing an intensive laboratory component for an innovative intermediate astrophysics class that targets physics, secondary education science, and non-science students. It uses collaborative working groups to engage this diverse collection of students in active learning that starts with modest, easily constructed detectors and builds to sophisticated instrumentation based on cosmic ray research at the South Pole. The project builds on opportunities available to the PIs as members of international NSF-supported research projects at the South Pole, AMANDA (Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Array), SPASE (South Pole Air Shower Experiment), and IceCube.
Broader Impacts: The combination of cutting-edge cosmic ray science with the exotic Antarctic location provides an attractive opportunity to captivate students. This project also leverages several local initiatives to attract, retain, and diversify the next generation of scientists and educators, as well as develop a deeper appreciation of science in the general population. These include mentoring physics majors in the Ronald E. McNair Post- baccalaureate Achievement Program, designed to help students from low-income, first-generation college backgrounds go to graduate school and earn doctorate degrees. The instrumentation to outfit the astrophysics lab stations is also being used for demonstrations in introductory physics and astronomy classes, presentations in a senior interdisciplinary course, senior seminar and undergraduate research projects, as well as four years of elementary through secondary school teacher professional development. The results of these efforts are being disseminated through presentations and materials made available to collaborators at IceCube Collaboration meetings (a group of 25 institutions across the globe) and at the IceCube Education & Public Outreach website.
