Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division (NSD) hosted its annual Nuclear Science Day for Scouts on November 7, 2024. Each Fall this event brings 180 scouts (both Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts troops) and 50 of their adult leaders to the Lab to learn about nuclear science. After a full day of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities, BSA Scouts earn the Nuclear Science Merit Badge, and Girl Scouts earn the “Get to Know Nuclear” patch.
Throughout this day, the scouts do many activities including building an electroscope, making edible models of small atoms using marshmallows, M&Ms, and toothpicks, and exploring a variety of different particle detectors. At the Advanced Light Source (ALS), we hosted the visitors under the dome, showing them nuclear science in action at our beamlines and in our control room.
It takes a team to shepherd 180 scouts plus chaperones safely through the ALS on a Saturday: Ina Reichel organized the tours and worked with the NSD organizing committee. Julie Drotz, Dahlia An, and Jeff Troutman made sure the tour route was safe and welcoming. A variety of staff led the 12 tours, including Dula Parkinson, Stepanie Gilbert Corder, Andreas Scholl, Hans Bechtel, Cindy Lee, Gianna FazioLiu, and Wanli Yang. Elizabeth Clark also pitched in to give a unique experience to one scout who needed to avoid stairs.
At the ALS we take pride in being a place where young minds can come to learn more about science, become inspired to try something new and explore the world around them. Who knows—we might just see some of these scouts back at the ALS as researchers in the future!