New UK Outreach activities

Peter Watkins

p.m.watkins@bham.ac.uk

Many thanks to colleagues from Particle Physics community and STFC for their input

UK Science

and Discovery Centres

THE STFC-SCIENCE CENTRE PARTNERSHIPExplore your Universe:

From Atoms to Astrophysics

A two year £460k partnership project to display STFC science and technologies at Science Centres

Aims at strengthening links between Outreach by STFC and its user community with related work in

Science Centres

Will develop hands on resources (kits) to be hosted in science and discovery centres eg. Cloud Chambers

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/News%20and%20Events/38670.aspx

March 2012

http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/home.cfm

Displays from STFC and Birmingham, Warwick, IOP

20000 visitors in 3 days

http://www.ep.ph.bham.ac.uk/general/outreach/DiscoveringParticles/other-events/2012/big-bang-fair/

Cristina Lazzeroni Birmingham

Also used at many other science festivals and exhibitions

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lwxj1/features/banglive

UK masterclass roadshow - Belfast13 January 2012

Based at Queens University Belfast74 students + 14 teachers

2 visiting speakersAlan Barr (Oxford)

Pete Edwards (Durham)Combination of lectures + CMS and ATLAS

data exercisesVery positive feedback from schools

Combined with public lecture by Tara Shears & reception for invited guests –

audience of over 200, including members of NI assembly and other

public figures

Bruce Kennedy

UK Masterclass roadshow - plans

Current plans for 2012-2013:

Repeat Belfast event in 2013 – favourable response from QUB already

QUB masterclass for teachers only, June 2012

Event in south-west of England – currently in negotiation with Plymouth University

Event in northern Scotland – looking at Aberdeen or Inverness

RAL Masterclasses GROWTH

1998 1 day 114 students 10 schools.2000 2 days 245 students 19 schools.2002 3 days 500 students 30 schools.2012 4 days 700 students 42 schools.Largest Particle Physics Masterclasses in UK.

CATCHMENT AREAExtends over much of southern England

BIG SCIENCE ATTRACTORSDiamond Light Source

ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source

http://www.sixtysymbols.com/LHC/index.html

Cosmic Ray Centenary Plans

Consortium led by Paula Chadwick (Durham) will have stand at Royal Society Summer Exhibition in July

Activity for schools by David Cussans (Bristol) with finale and display at Bristol Balloon festival

Cosmic Rays for Schools – Becky Parker (LangtonCentre) Lucid Project

MediPix chip on ESA’s TechDemoSat-1 end 2012 MediPix chips at six Universities for schools use

Chris Boddy Alan Barr

Oxford

Funded by STFC Outreach award

http://www.oxfordsparks.net/

Teachers meeting – Birmingham Feb 2012

Workshop run byJohn Moores

Liverpool,Glamorgan,Birmingham

Introduce teachers to

resources for teaching of Astronomy and Particle

Physics

Astronomy and Particle Physics

Many public talks

2000 people

Quantum Universe

LEGO Physics

• Teach various aspects of physics using LEGO

• Hands on workshops and classroom kits– A-Level (16-18) Particle Physics– GCSE (14-16) Radioactivity– General (4 – 84) History of the Universe

• Science festivals, school classrooms, public open events and special interest groups.

• http://ph.qmul.ac.uk/outreach/physics-kits

Ben Still QMUL

LEGO Physics

• The best crash course in Science Communication• Entirely web based.• Students aged 14-18 • Live chats and forum questions• 5 scientists battle head to head• Up to 2 weeks of 3-4 hours a day• Week two knockout round, student vote• £500 prize to the winner for Sci Comm• www.imascientist.org.uk• Ben Still QMUL --- winner in 2012

ATLAS virtual visit – Birmingham Masterclass March 28

Summary

• Only time for a few examples in this talk

• There are many other ongoing outreach activities in all UK groups

• More effort to appeal to younger audience

• Many more science festivals and exhibitions in UK