"Niñas Atómicas" (Atomic Girls): An initiative that generates opportunities for young girls in STEM

TL;DR

Niñas Atómicas addresses gender inequities in STEM by offering a two-week workshop for Chilean high-school girls to build and operate a muon detector, learning physics, electronics and programming through hands-on data collection. Students measure muon flux at different altitudes and attempt a lifetime estimate using a simple decay model $N(t) = N_0 e^{-t/(γ τ)}$, discussing the difference between the illustrative $τ ≈ 1.7$ ns in the exercise and the true $τ ≈ 2.2 μs$. The program uses Python data analysis in Google Colab to plot and interpret results and emphasizes scientific methodology, peer collaboration, and communication of findings via reports and talks. The authors report positive shifts in understanding of science as well as attitudes toward women in science, along with logistical and ethical considerations for scaling such initiatives, including costs near $300 per detector and the need for internet access and Spanish-language resources.

Abstract

We report on an initiative that seeks to encourage high school girls to develop critical thinking and transferable skills widely used in scientific work, as well as to generate a concrete space of opportunities for girls to experience how real science is done. Our "Niñas Atómicas" workshop combines the teaching of particle physics, electronics, programming and scientific methodology through building and operating a dedicated experiment: a muon counter. Girls from all over Chile can apply to this workshop, where every year they are guided by female scientists for two weeks. We report on the contents and methodology of our workshop and provide details on how to build the muon detector. We report results on muon flux and proper lifetime, two muon properties which can be extracted from the data collected by the girls with the muon detectors they built themselves. Insights into the girl's experiences during the 2024 and 2025 editions of the workshop are also detailed, with the aim to contribute to the wider physics education research and outreach communities.

Figures (9)

• Figure 1: Components of our muon detector. The scintillators in d) and e) are wrapped in aluminum foil and are to be placed on top of the SiPMs in f) and g) when the detector is assembled. The main detector case is shown in a) and its hexagonal casings in b) and c) will contain the SiPMs when closing the detector. The PCB is shown in h), which will be connected to the Arduino in i). The Arduino will be connected to the SD card reader in j). Figure adapted from a photograph taken by Ignacio García.
• Figure 2: Diagram showing the electrical connections of our muon detector. Detailed instructions can be found in AtomicasGithub.
• Figure 3: Full assembly of our muon detector. The detector components and electrical connections are shown in Figure \ref{['fig:detectorComponents']} and \ref{['fig:Electronics']}, respectively. We thank Ignacio García for taking this photograph.
• Figure 4: Number of muons versus time at different heights. Location A: Yerba Loca park in Farellones near Santiago, at an altitude of 1850 m. Location B: tallest building at San Joaquín campus (605 m). Location C: physics laboratory at San Joaquín campus (547 m).
• Figure 5: Gaussian fits to the data collected at $1850$ m and $547$ m (Locations A and C), where the fitted mean $\mu$ corresponds to the average number of muons per minute detected at that altitude.