Mar 08, 2023
A day in the world of elementary particles: School pupils investigate data from CERN at TU Dresden and around the world
On March 13, 50 pupils from the local region will meet at TU Dresden to immerse themselves in the world of elementary particles. And thousands of other pupils the world over will also be meeting to do the same thing. Using the university’s computers, they will gain access to data from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). With the support of PhD students and researchers at TU Dresden, the pupils will try to identify different types of particles, recognize collision events, and understand more about these smallest of existing entities.
Just like the work at CERN, this project is also international – over 200 institutes in 60 countries are involved in the project, the aim of which is to spark young people’s interest in research. The day will close with video conferences held in English, each comprising four or five of the participating institutes and moderated by physicists at CERN. During these conferences, the young people will compare their findings, simulating a real collaborative project in experimental particle physics. This means that the pupils experience firsthand how international research works and gain authentic insight into fundamental research at CERN.
The International Masterclasses on Particle Physics project has been held annually since 2005, although it was not possible to hold the event on site in recent years due to the pandemic. Now it is being received with great enthusiasm, especially by TU Dresden’s partner schools.
TU Dresden’s Dr. Uta Bilow heads the international organizational work and manages the updating of data sets and measurement tasks with the support of the International Particle Physics Outreach Group.
After three years of virtual project events, Dr. Uta Bilow is looking forward to welcoming pupils from Saxony’s schools to TU Dresden once again, stating, “It is such an incredible experience for the participants to work with real research data and solve the tasks together. Even years later, PhD students tell me that it was the International Masterclasses that drew them to particle physics.” Detailed information: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1240232/
The International Masterclasses Hands on Particle Physics will take place in TU Dresden’s Recknagel Building on March 13, 2023, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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