Re: teaching material -Reply

["Eric L. Darois" <daroiel@naesco.com>]

     This has worked well for me in 45 minutes.
     
     1. A basic explanation of radiation (alpha, beta, gamma), and 
     radioactive material.  Discuss natural and manmade sources.  
     Demonstrate the different types using a GM pancake w/fiestaware, 
     mantels, watches, etc. (licensed material could get some community 
     concern).
     
     As part of this session, run a vacuum cleaner with a paper towel 
     attached to the suction hose (or an air sampler) in a lower room 
     (furnace room, sump pit, or crawl space) within the building.  Make 
     sure you have a student help you set it up before you start class.  At 
     the end (10 to 20 minutes), retrieve the sample and demonstrate the 
     radon progeny collected.  This usually gets a good reaction : "see, 
     radiation is everywhere !!"
     
     2. Then, discuss some of the protective stuff we use when working with 
     radiation and radioactive material (TLDs, respirators, protective 
     clothing....).  Show them protective clothing (bring a full set) so 
     they understand that it is just regular cloth, nothing special..Ask 
     the class if they would like to see how the teacher looks all dressed 
     up as a rad worker.  They'll love it.  Use gloves, hoods, booties, and 
     tape the cuffs.  Make sure you bring a camera...
     
     This puts the experience at a real human level and the kids will 
     remember the funny guy that made the teacher dress-up.
     
     Good Luck
     
     
     Eric Darois
     daroiel@naesco.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: teaching material -Reply
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at Internet
Date:    10/10/96 2:57 PM


David:
     
Here's 2 easy things.
1.  Get 2 portable scalers, one with a pancake GM, the other ZnS. Have
the kids bring in something from home e.g. soil, sand, fertilizer, rock salt, 
gravel, ground up brazil nuts(Ra), ceramic plates( U), glass (K-40),
smoke detector (Am) , wood ash, air/furnace filter used that morning 
(Rn), moist paper towel used that morning to clean the TV screen that 
morning (Rn) etc. Maybe you could have each student responsible for a 
given item. Make them bring the material (except the paper towell and 
filter) in a few days ahead of time, if they can't locate something, you 
could bring it yourself.
Perform a 3-5 minute count on each and rank the results. Make your 
brother  do the counts while you are doing something else.
     
2. Get an alpha source, place a  ZnS screen on top and view the screen 
with a magnifying glass (preferably not hand held). Turn out the lights, 
explain whats going to happen and after a couple of minutes have them
look at the scintillations. It has an element of drama to it. The kids will be 
doing their own thing in the dark instead of listening to the explanation but 
thats what being a kid is all about anyway.
     
Run some tests ahead of time on your own to see that it works.Maybe 
you could report back on radsafe what seemed to work.
     
Best wishes
     
Paul Frame
Professional Training Programs
ORISE
framep@orau.gov