RRR Lar bi Page 4 Lion's Eye March 29, 1979 The Mobile Radioisotope Lab- oratory (MRL), which is oper- ated by the Nuclear Engineering Department of The Pennsylvania State University, has as its primary objective the familiariz- ation of secondary school stu- dents and teachers with the concepts of nuclear science by providing a “hands-on” lab- oratory program utilizing a mobile radioisotope laboratory provided by the Department of Energy. Its secondary objective is the introduction to the general public to the concepts of nuclear science through’ a display of educational programs and tech- niques. , During the school year the MRL travels to six different locations and provides public BLIZZARD OF '79 The Delaware Valley area was covered with a near-record snow fall on February 19 which forced the closing of the Delco Campus. : (Photos by Donna Curran) Mobile Radioisotope Laboratory On Campus and/or parochial secondary stu- dents with 15 hours of formal instruction and 15 hours of laboratory work. In addition local secondary teachers receive 18 hours of instruction and/or laboratory work. During their laboratory ses- sions, the students and teachers will use the Geiger counter, which is the most used instru- ment for the detection of radiation, as well as single and multichannel analyzers with which they can detect and observe the gamma-ray spec- trum of a radioisotope. In addition to these the MRL contains a neutron howitzer to be used in a: neutron activation experiment. : Experiments that the students and teachers will perform in- clude: (A) the operating charac- teristics of Geiger-Mueller tube, (B) the determination of resolv- ing time for a GM tube and the study of background radiation, (C) the statistics of counting, - (D) the characteristics of alpha, beta and gamma radiation, (E) beta-ray backscattering, (F) the determination of the half-life of a radioisotope, (G) depth and density gauging, (H) the identifi- cation of a gamma-ray source and neutron activation to produce a radioisotope with a complex decay scheme. In the lectures the topics convered are: (A) health physics, (B) nuclear terms and symbols, (C) types of nuclear particles and radiations, (D) atomic mass and energy and interconversion with the use of Einstein’s equation - E =mc2 (E) the types of nuclear decay, (F) the interaction of radiation with matter, (G) radia- tion detectors, (H) sources of radionuclides and (I) the applica- tions of radiation and radioactive materials. “nt During the laboratory sessions the students and teachers work with actual radioisotopes which are commercially available to schools and contain less radioac- tivity than is in older radiumdial wristwatches. Administration of the program is conducted by Mr. William Murray, Science-Mathematics te oo Specialist of the Northeastern Intermediate Unit #19 located in Scranton. The PSU Director is ‘Dr. Warren F. Witzig, Chairman of Nuclear Engineering Depart- ment, and the PSU administrator is Mr. John McKee. The present instructor (since September 1977) is Mr. Joseph Bonner, a staff member of the Nuclear Engineering Depart- ment at PSU. Mr. Bonner is a graduate of St. James High School (1955), the University of Villanova (B.S. in physics, 1964) and Franklin and Marshall Col- lege (M.S. in physics, 1973). The MRL is on location at the Delco Campus from March 19 to April 30. An open house for campus students is planned. SOPHOMORES Looking Ahead a Couple of Years? Like to earn $12,000/yr. After Graduation? i Do yourself a favor and apply for admission to the Army ROTC two-year program. Earn & money this summer preparing for your future. Six weeks this summer will earn you $100/month each month of your Junior and Senior years! See Cpt. Wilson today and find out how you can help yourself. His office is in Room AA-2. O, | %,, W Lp
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