On October 11, 2025, our Nuclear Science Division, along with the Advanced Light Source and the Lab’s K-12 STEM Education and Outreach Program, hosted over 250 scouts and their leaders at its 13th annual Nuclear Science Day for Scouts.
Every year, the event introduces a theme to the scouts. This year’s theme was the centennial celebration of the birth of quantum mechanics — the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). The day’s program integrated several elements of quantum science, including an overview talk and hands-on demonstrations.
NSD’s Raúl Briceño gave an introductory talk on the fundamentals of radioactivity, and the Darleane C. Hoffman Postdoctoral Fellow Ryan Smith enlightened the visitors with a short presentation on the connections between quantum mechanics and nuclear science, including qubit entanglement and quantum sensing. These presentations set the tone for the day, and the young visitors responded with dozens of excellent questions.
The day’s events integrated quantum activities, in collaboration with the QCaMP program, including investigations of light polarization and the emission spectra of elements. Manufacturers of radiation detection devices AMETEK/ORTEC and AMETEK/Amptek loaned equipment — a handheld high-purity germanium detector and an X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) kit — that demonstrated the quantum nature of nuclear and atomic de-excitations.
Additionally, the organizers presented advances in radiation detector technologies. Spot, the robot dog that carries a multi-sensor radiation mapping system developed by our Division’s Applied Nuclear Physics Program, was a huge hit. Thanks to the generous donation from SkuTek Instrumentation, a “Hands-On Radioactivity” station demonstrated a digitally-controlled cosmic-ray detector, built with digital electronics and controlled by a web browser. This new setup was contrasted with the analog cosmic-ray detector that many high school students have worked with over the years – NSD’s Howard Matis developed the original cosmic-ray detector before his retirement.
As in previous years, the scouts participated in other nuclear science activities, including investigating radioactivity in everyday objects, constructing an electroscope, hearing about careers in Nuclear Science and building an atomic model with marshmallows. They also toured the Advanced Light Source.
This year’s event was sponsored by the Innoview Foundation and made possible with the help of more than 35 volunteers, the majority representing the Nuclear Science Division.
