The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) is a statewide education and
research experiment involving Nebraska high school students, teachers and
university undergraduates in the study of extensive cosmic-ray air showers. A
network of high school teams construct, install, and operate school-based
detectors in coordination with University of Nebraska physics professors and
graduate students. The detector system at each school is an array of
scintillation counters recycled from the Chicago Air Shower Array in
weather-proof enclosures on the school roof, with a GPS receiver providing a
time stamp for cosmic-ray events. The detectors are connected to triggering
electronics and a data-acquisition PC inside the building. Students share data
via the Internet to search for time coincidences with other sites. Funded by
the National Science Foundation, CROP has enlisted 29 schools with the aim of
expanding to the 314 high schools in the state over several years. This report
highlights both the scientific and professional development achievements of the
project to date.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the 2007 International Cosmic Ray
Conference (ICRC2007), Merida, Mexico, July 200