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When Eagle Scout Adam Lif entered an atomic physics laboratory Saturday at Creighton University, he was stared down by what appeared to be a death ray from a sci-fi movie.
The 17-year-old from Lincoln had good company inside the concrete fortified walls of the small room, which included a bright orange sheet of emergency numbers in case something went wrong. He was surrounded by fellow Scouts.
What at first appeared to be a death ray, however, didn't pose any danger to the Scouts because it was actually an atom smasher.
The Scouts learned about it as one of seven requirements to receive their merit badges. Other requirements included learning radiation safety, how to use a Geiger counter and knowledge of nuclear science.
The group was among 71 Scouts from Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota who were at the college's Rigge Science Building to earn their nuclear science merit badges.
For Lif, the process to obtain a badge was also an opportunity to learn more about physics.
“I'm interested in physics,” he said. “I'm looking into it as a career.”
The Scouts also were challenged to build a cloud chamber out of felt and a container that was then sealed.
Cloud chambers are used to detect cosmic rays and radioactivity, said the Rev. Thomas McShane, a Creighton physics professor.
Once the chamber was constructed, the Scouts proceeded to add alcohol and a small uranium sample to create a cloudy haze inside the container.
The final requirement for the merit badges came from physics professor Michael Cherney, whose lesson was that science doesn't always lead to a job in a laboratory.
“Where you end up is really where your passion is,” he said.
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