[News-releases] TRIUMF news Release - METRO VANCOUVER STUDENTS STUDY BIG BANG IN PHYSICS MASTERCLASS

[Marcello Pavan]

News Release | For Immediate Release | March 17, 2011

METRO VANCOUVER STUDENTS STUDY BIG BANG IN PHYSICS MASTERCLASS 

(Vancouver, BC) -- On Friday March 18, about 40 high school
students from Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and Richmond will get their
hands on real data from the world's largest subatomic physics
experiment to search for exotic particles last seen naturally
microseconds after the big bang.  Along with over 8000 other students
from 23 countries invited to 130 institutions worldwide, these
students are taking part in the Particle Physics Masterclass, a global
outreach event where students analyze real data from the Large Hadron
Collider (at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland) under the
watchful eye of their teachers and university research scientists. At
day's end, the students will discuss their results through
videoconference with other Masterclass students from China, Japan, and
the United States. The event is sponsored by TRIUMF, Simon Fraser
University (SFU), and the University of British Columbia (UBC), and
organized by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory "Quarknet" 
initiative in the USA.

The Particle Physics Masterclass began in Europe in 2005, and
emulates art masterclasses where students work on a technique under
the guidance of a professional. In this case students learn the art of
data analysis guided by professional research scientists and tutored
by high school teachers. It has spread around the world through
various regional Masterclasses throughout March.
 
This year is the first time that Canadian students are participating
in the Masterclass. It is a full-day event taking place at SFU, led by
Professor Dugan O'Neil, and at UBC, led by Professor Colin Gay.  They
will be assisted at SFU by Vancouver teacher Mike Hengeveld and Surrey
teacher Susan Hunter-Jivung, and at UBC by Richmond teacher Philip
Freeman.  Professor O'Neil explains, "The goal of this Masterclass is
to provide the students with a reasonable understanding of what
particle physicists do everyday and how particle physicists gather the
results by leading the students to act in a way that particle
physicists would act." O'Neil also hopes that the students leave the
event with an appreciation of how the work is done and the excitement
and enthusiasm of particle physics.

The students are led though an intensive full-day of lectures, peer
and teacher instruction, scientist mentoring, lunch with scientists,
and analysis of real data from the ATLAS experiment at the LHC.  The
highlight comes at the end of the day, when an analysis review
videoconference is scheduled with other Masterclass students in the
USA, Japan, and China. Closely emulating videoconferences the research
scientists attend regularly, the videoconference has proven to be a 
big hit with students over the years.

TRIUMF Outreach Coordinator Dr. Marcello Pavan is very pleased that
the Particle Physics Masterclass has finally taken root in
Canada. "Now that ATLAS is taking real data, it seems the time was
right for the Masterclass to come together here.  We see this year's
event as the 'first annual' class, as well as a pilot for possible
inter-Canadian Masterclasses with other universities across the
country."  Pavan is grateful for the ATLAS-Canada collaboration
scientists at SFU, UBC, and TRIUMF who are giving freely of their
time to inspire the students, and for the school teachers for
their invaluable efforts making the Masterclass a success.

                          -- ends --

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For more information, contact: 

Marcello M. Pavan, Ph.D.
Outreach Coordinator
TRIUMF -- Accelerating Science for Canada
4004 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 2A3  CANADA
Tel: 604-222-7525
Fax: 604-222-1074
E-mail: outreach at triumf.ca
WWW: http://www.triumf.ca


Links:

Particle Physics Masterclass
http://www.physicsmasterclasses.org/

2011 Quarknet Masterclass
http://quarknet.us/library/index.php/Masterclass_Library

Simon Fraser University Physics Department
http://www.physics.sfu.ca

University of British Columbia Physics and Astronomy
http://www.physics.ubc.ca/

LHC at CERN
http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHC/LHC-en.html

ATLAS Experiment at LHC
http://atlas.ch

ATLAS-Canada Collaboration
http://www.atlas-canada.ca

TRIUMF Outreach
http://www.triumf.ca/outreach
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