ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION MONITORING: As the solar cycle transitions to a new phase, cosmic rays are penetrating the solar system in ever increasing numbers. Cosmic rays can seed clouds, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. This means it is increasingly important to monitor radiation in Earth's atmosphere. Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus have developed a "Space Weather Buoy" to do just that. A peer-reviewed research article describing the device was just featured on the cover of the American Geophysical Union magazine Space Weather Quarterly:

Download the entire issue [link to onlinelibrary.wiley.com] and scroll down to page 10 to read the complete article. It was co-authored by 12 students, most of whom were in high school when the research was done. Highlights of the article include a detailed description of the buoy as well as measurements of several radiation events over California in response to solar activity.

[link to spaceweather.com]