19.02.2013

Further funding of “Netzwerk Teilchenwelt”

DESY continues management of cosmic project

The particle world network “Netzwerk Teilchenwelt”, a successful collaboration of 24 German research institutes and CERN in Geneva will be funded for three additional years by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. As from now, this network gives young people the opportunity at project days to evaluate original data from CERN, including true Higgs particle candidates. In this new funding period, the interested youths will also use the detectors developed by the network to measure cosmic particles to collect their own data. Thus, DESY in Zeuthen will continue the management and scientific coordination of the network’s cosmic project, with additional support of the Helmholtz Alliance for Astroparticle Physics.

What is the world made of? How did the universe come into existence? Where does cosmic radiation come from? These are questions that do not only interest particle and astroparticle physicists all over the world. The particle world network, a German institution to communicate particle and astroparticle physics to young people and teachers is now firmly established as an authentic access to modern physics. From Hamburg to Munich and from Aachen to Dresden, more than 100 young scientists are active as communicators of their scientific work. As travelling experts of the network, they carry out research days, the so-called Masterclasses, in schools, museums and other educational institutions. In these events, young people get the opportunity to evaluate original data from CERN, with true Higgs particle candidates – the particle discovered at CERN last summer. Since 2011, the network’s programme also includes experiments to measure cosmic particles; this is organised under the leadership of DESY in Zeuthen. This further development allows experiencing “live” research. In the future, the detectors designed by the network may also be borrowed by educational institutions. “The network therefore fulfils a central basic research mission – to convey insights of research from first-hand to the public,” said Professor Michael Kobel, initiator of the network. The particle physicist does research at CERN and teaches at TU Dresden.

DESY in Hamburg and Zeuthen are very active in both, the Masterclasses programme and the experiments to measure cosmic particles. Every year, the two institutes offer the possibility for many schools to carry out project days or weeks. The three-step programme includes the movable regional Masterclasses, research weeks and workshops at CERN. This provides general and specific education.

Making science come alive authentically – this is the special goal of the cosmic project. The close cooperation with scientists offers young people the opportunity to get involved with current scientific questions and to experience everyday research work in all its facets. This goes along with lectures, information materials and many discussions with scientists, students and teachers, making the juveniles become fascinated with scientific work. “Thanks to the perfect embedding into the DESY infrastructure and the additional support of the Helmholtz Alliance for Astroparticle Physics, we are able to continue the project with the established standards regarding quality and intensity,” said Ulrike Behrens (DESY), head of the network’s cosmic project. In the first funding round, a solid foundation was laid which now has to be consolidated and stabilized. Other project tasks include further development, optimization of the experiments and the support of projects, practical work and term papers at the two institutes and surrounding schools, contributions to events, as for example congresses, or the participation at nationwide teacher training. This is all done by Carolin Schwerdt, scientific coordinator of the project at DESY in Zeuthen. 

General information:

Press release „Netzwerk Teilchenwelt“: http://www.teilchenwelt.de/aktuelles/nachrichten/2013/netzwerk-teilchenwelt-wird-weiter-gefoerdert

Photographs: http://www.teilchenwelt.de/aktuelles/presse

Participating institutions: http://www.teilchenwelt.de/standorte

Measuring of cosmic particles

Network offers: http://www.teilchenwelt.de/angebote/astroteilchen-experimente

DESY offers: http://physik-begreifen-zeuthen.desy.de/angebote/kosmische_teilchen/index_ger.html

and

http://physik-begreifen-hamburg.desy.de/angebote/kosmische_strahlung