High school students visit McMaster Nuclear Reactor and gain real-world research experience

McMaster welcomed local high school students to campus this spring to tour the University’s nuclear research facilities and bring a classroom crystal growth project to life.

Nine seniors from the John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph, Ontario took part in the visit. As part of their in-class studies, the students had been collaborating with their teachers to grow single crystal samples of copper sulfate pentahydrate – a compound known for its beautiful blue crystals and unusual magnetic properties.

With their crystals in tow, the group toured McMaster’s unique neutron diffraction facilities, located at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR) and the recently launched Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory (CNBL).

Students received a crash course in neutron diffraction from Pat Clancy, Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy.

“This visit was the perfect opportunity for students to explore the kinds of equipment and techniques we use to study the properties of materials at the atomic level. McMaster is truly a one-of-a-kind place for this type of hands-on research experience, which can be a fantastic way to spark interest in the field for aspiring young scientists,” he says.

Next stop – the McMaster Nuclear Reactor, where students witnessed the blue glow of the reactor core and found out more about the wide-reaching impact of the facility – from producing medical isotopes to advancing research on clean energy, materials, environmental science and more.  

Students then had an opportunity to collect measurements in real-time with Bo Yuan, a staff scientist in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, using the McMaster Alignment Diffractometer (MAD). 

Using the unique properties of neutron beams, students investigated the structure, composition, and crystallinity of their samples. Neutrons are a particularly important tool for studying quantum materials like copper sulfate because can penetrate deep into matter and offer unparalleled sensitivity to magnetism and lighter elements (like hydrogen and lithium) on the periodic table.

The McMaster Nuclear Reactor is currently the only facility in Canada – and one of only six facilities in North America – where this type of measurement can be performed, notes Clancy. 

“We were thrilled to hear that several of the visiting students from John F. Ross are planning to attend McMaster next year, and a number are already planning their next crystal growth project,” he says.

“We hope that this is the first of many high school visits to the Canadian Neutron Beam Laboratory, especially as the facility continues to expand, offer new training opportunities and support cutting-edge research in clean energy, quantum materials, advanced manufacturing and medicine.”