Radiation, radiation detection and radiation protection are topics in physics and its applications
which generate a wide interest in the public. This interest is either generated through medical
procedures, applications of nuclear energy or nuclear accidents. The technical nature of these
topics usually means that they are not well covered in the normal education stream, opening many
opportunities to engage with schools and the general public to showcase the latest developments and
their applications. The detection of radiation is at the very heart of understanding radiation, its
fascination and associated fears. The outreach group of the nuclear physics group at the University
of Glasgow demonstrates a number of successful outreach activities centred around radiation
detection and described in this paper, focusing on activities delivered to a variety of audiences
and related to applied nuclear physics work within our group. These concentrate on the application
of novel sensor t…