New ways of hands-on teaching at EduTech 2025
Alan Duffy
It was a thrill to bring the mDetect class-room ready muon detectors, the EduMODs, to the biggest national educational technology expo - EduTech 2025rowth.org.au/innovation-alley-edutech-2025/ - along with the amazing team of Parth Panchal, MIEAust and Pepper Simondson.
It’s no secret that my drive has been to ignite a passion for STEM in the next generation, and I (and my company) believe the answer lies not just in textbooks and theory, but in tangible, real-world experimentation. Sadly fundamental physics concepts, especially those beyond the everyday, have remained abstract for many students. This lack of tangible connection often leads to disengagement and a perception that STEM fields are inaccessible or unexciting.
I see a critical need to bridge this gap, to bring the wonders of modern physics directly into the classroom, fostering curiosity and deeper understanding. So the problem is clear: how do we make abstract physics real and captivating for students, thereby increasing their engagement and interest in STEM careers? This isn't just about better grades; it's about inspiring future scientists, engineers, and innovators.
Our solution at mDetect is the classroom-ready muon detector, the EduMOD. Muons are created when the particles from the highest energy events in our universe, exploding stars and feeding blackholes, collide with our atmosphere. They are constantly raining down on us, unseen but detectable. Our detector is designed to be safe and user-friendly, allowing students to directly measure these subatomic particles. Imagine students not just reading about cosmic rays, but actually detecting them! This hands-on experience transforms abstract concepts into a tangible reality.
But that’s just the first step, we are building a nation-spanning detector array, offering additional features and lesson extensions, where students and teachers can be involved in data collection on a continental scale, that will be used by real research scientists (not least of which myself!) and creating a huge community of practice!
I also took some data from the flight using the EduMODs and WOWSA is there a lot more muons at high altitude than the ground - and we have special relativity to thank that any makes it to groudn at all!
