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Gannon University — Cosmic-Ray Calorimeter (GU-CRC)

Undergraduate STEM education project: student team built and flew a cosmic-ray detector, validating SiPM technology for balloon-borne particle physics.

Updated: Session 98, 2026-04-07

Summary

Gannon University's Cosmic-Ray Calorimeter (GU-CRC) is a rare FO project whose primary outcome is STEM workforce development, not technology maturation. An interdisciplinary team of undergraduate students designed, built, and flew a six-layer sampling calorimeter to detect cosmic rays (1-100 GeV) using silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) — a relatively new photodetector technology replacing traditional PMTs. The flight validated SiPMs for balloon-borne applications, producing one peer-reviewed paper. PI Nicholas Conklin brought prior experience from the CREAM Antarctic ballooning campaign (2004/2005).

Outcome category: Academic Publication + STEM Education — 1 peer-reviewed paper + undergraduate team experience. No commercial product, no follow-on NASA program, no downstream contracts.

People

Person Role Affiliations Notes
Nicholas B. Conklin PI Associate Professor and Chair of Physics, Gannon University PhD Penn State; prior CREAM Antarctic campaign (2004/2005); BS Grove City College

FO Project

14153 — Cosmic-Ray Calorimeter (GU-CRC)

  • Period: 2014-09-18 to 2015-09-04
  • TRL: 4 → 7
  • Status: Completed
  • TX: TX08.3.1 (Field and Particle Detectors)
  • Lead Org: Gannon University (Academia), Erie, PA
  • Views: 748
  • What it was: Six-layer sampling calorimeter (~12.5 radiation lengths) with charge detector to distinguish protons from helium nuclei. Used SiPMs to convert scintillation light to electric signal. Flew on World View balloon at ~105,000 ft (loitered above 98,425 ft for ~1h 45min).
  • Key result: Successfully demonstrated SiPMs as viable replacements for PMTs on balloon-borne cosmic-ray detectors. Payload successfully recovered.

Flight Details

The GU-CRC flew on a World View Enterprises stratospheric balloon (the same company that later flew FO project 89368 Stratollite, acquired by Ondas Holdings April 2026). World View was NASA's "newest commercial flight provider" for this flight. The balloon reached 105,000 ft altitude.

Downstream Impact

Publication

  • Conklin, N.B., Lee, W., Nieman, E.A. "Demonstration of Silicon Photomultiplier's Suitability for Use on Balloon-Borne Cosmic-Ray Detectors," Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 781, pp. 71-77 (2015).
  • Key finding: SiPMs are suitable replacements for PMTs in balloon-borne applications, offering lower voltage requirements, smaller size, and lower cost.

Federal Contracts

  • USASpending: No NASA awards found for Gannon University.
  • The FO project itself was the only visible NASA funding to Gannon.

Follow-on Work

  • None visible. Conklin remains at Gannon as department chair. No further TechPort projects, no follow-on NASA grants, no SBIR participation.

technologyOutcomes — Data Quality

Both outcome records on this project are erroneous linkages (Failure Mode 3, see TechPort Outcome Data Quality):

Outcome Linked Project Actual Subject Related to GU-CRC?
Advanced To 14631 ARC CIF: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets around Alpha Centauri Starlight suppression optics No — different program, different org, different field
Advanced From 9395 Invocon SBIR: Radiation Alert Immediate Disclosure (RAID) Miniature radiation badge No — different program, different org, different field

The "Advanced To" date (Nov 2013) predates the FO project start (Sep 2014), adding temporal confusion to the erroneous linkage.

Assessment

Archetype: STEM Education Payload — FO provided flight access for an undergraduate team to gain hands-on space technology experience. The technology itself (cosmic ray calorimetry) has no commercial market and no NASA mission pathway. The value is in the paper and the workforce development.

Confidence: Confirmed (SiPM validation paper published). No downstream impact beyond the publication and student experience.

Time dimension: FO flight 2015. Paper published 2015. No activity since.