In March, during British Science Week, our popular Particle Physics Masterclasses ran again at Daresbury Laboratory (DL) and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), with support from Diamond Light Source and Boulby Underground Laboratory, giving A-Level students an opportunity to find out about the inspiring particle physics and accelerator science that takes place on site.
Reaching 1,169 students and teachers from around the country, these masterclasses took place both on site and online – allowing us to engage with diverse audiences located far from our lab sites, who would not be able to make the visit in person. The masterclasses were very well received, with average satisfaction scores of 4.3/5 for students and 4.9/5 for teachers, and 73% of students (94% of teachers) wanted to find out more about what they saw and learned.
During the day at RAL, the students heard fascinating talks from the Particle Physics Department, went on tours of ISIS or Diamond and had a chance to analyse real data from the LHC with a newly-designed interface by the Particle Physics Department, with students saying “it was so cool to work with real life data.” The tours were, as always, very popular too with the welcome and approachability of the tour guides particularly highlighted, and the talks allowed us to celebrate the fascinating world of particle physics: “I really enjoyed the experience and found the lectures very interesting.”
At DL, the students were given a tour of DUNE, Surf lab and the ETC, took part in the Accelerate Escape workshop (an escape room style activity themed around particle accelerators) and saw various technical demos with a chance to ask questions of some Early Careers Staff. There was also an online session, with a live link to Boulby Underground Laboratory. Students particularly enjoyed Accelerate Escape, saying it was “a great way to incorporate science and fun.” Teachers commented that “it’s certainly inspired many of them to consider carrying on with their physics and engineering studies in the future.”
Huge thanks to everyone who made the events possible, giving the students and teachers “a really brilliant experience and day.”