Friday Flyer - September 14, 2018
Spotlight on the Catholic University of America QuarkNet Center
Catholic University of America (CUA) had an eventful workshop this summer. The group visited Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Virginia, a little over three hours from the Washington, D.C. location of CUA. They spent the day at "JLab" getting to know what a world-class accelerator lab is like. The focus then shifted to cosmic ray experimentation, going over everything from plateauing a detector to designing an experiment. Lead teacher Laurent Rigal developed a project inspired by the mapping and discovery of a new chamber in an Egyptian pyramid: map monuments in the District with cosmic rays. As a proof-of concept, the group made measurements in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, adjacent to CUA, with help from mentors Aaron Dominguez and Angela McRae, permission from basilica Rector Msgr. Rossi, and assistance from basilica staff member Brandon Pettit. Laurent finished the workshop with firm plans for more measurements with his students and willing allies among his fellow QuarkNet teachers; he also noted that "we are not the only ones" interested in this sort of investigation.
News from QuarkNet Central
International Masterclasses (IMC) 2019 are already organizing. Just today, IMC Central sent out the first circular of the new school year, announcing dates and developments. One of those developments is the introduction of prototype neutrino masterclasses. We have events coming up this autumn as well: World Wide Data Day on November 15 and International Cosmic Day on November 29. Look for more information on all of this in the coming weeks.
ICYMI: The QuarkNet grant has been renewed for another five years by NSF. The funding level is less than in previous years but is enough for a viable teacher program including Data Camp, International Masterclasses, and workshops at the 50+ centers.
Physics Experiment Roundup
Development and construction of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is making progress: check out these images of Proto-DUNE in symmetry. At the LHC, CMS leads the search for dark quarks—you read that right—and both ATLAS and CMS have been gathering data on Higgs boson decays to b/anti-b pairs. Where can that lead? Well, how about double Higgs events? All this must tell us something about the early universe, right? And where do you go to get pictures of the early universe? The south pole, right? Apparently so.
Resources
Football season! A great time to inspire the study of physics! In symmetry, this game-changing story tells you how. Also, inspire physics and foreign languages with a little help from Don Lincoln videos on Selbtänlichkeit and el bosón de Higgs. Don't worry: only the subtitles are in, respectively, German and Spanish.
Just for Fun
Still time! Vote for your favorite Big Physics pictures of the year in the 2018 Global Physics competition, open now through September 16. Winners will be announced on October 1. But wait, there's more: neutrinos, symmetry, and whales, oh my! Sounds like Star Trek IV.
QuarkNet Staff:
Mark Adams: adams@fnal.gov
Ken Cecire: kcecire@nd.edu
Shane Wood: swood5@nd.edu