7th grader works with "Muons"....finds tunnels...

Officials Say Similar Technology Has Mixed Results
POSTED: 7:08 pm PST January 18, 2006
SAN DIEGO -- A local seventh grader has found a new way to detect border tunnels.

Benjamin Aldrich's project, "Working With Muons," uses cosmic rays from the atmosphere to detect underground air pockets or tunnels. Aldrich, 12, said cosmic rays have also been used to find hidden tombs in Egypt.

"I hope my idea does work for finding border tunnels," Aldrich said. "If it does, it would probably help out the U.S. a lot."

A spokesperson with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said she was not familiar with Aldrich's project. She said ground-probing radar is already used with mixed results because it sometimes detects water below the ground instead of tunnels.

Aldrich attends Muirlands Middle School in La Jolla.

Copyright 2006 by NBCSandiego.com.

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