Below are the poster on which topics were recorded as a result of implementation discussions at the Buffalo LIGO e-Lab in 2016.

22-23 August, 2016

Objectives

Participating teachers will be able to use the LIGO e-Lab to:

• Plot and interpret data recorded by LIGO seismic instruments
• Explain the importance of LIGO seismic data in gravitational wave search
• Identify and list classical physics concepts in LIGO data analysis
• Develop a plan for use of the LIGO e-Lab in the classroom.

Agenda 

Times and specific activities are subject to adjustment.

August 20-21, 2015

Tiny URL for this page: http://tinyurl.com/oolmcoz

Objectives

Participating teachers will:

• Apply classical physics principles to reduce or explain the observations in data investigations.
• Identify and describe ways that data are organized for determining any patterns that may exist in the data.
• Create, organize and interpret data plots; make claims based on evidence and provide explanations; identify data limitations.
• Develop a plan for taking students from their current level of understanding data use to subsequent levels using activities and/or ideas from the workshop.

We will also provide opportunities to engage in critical dialogue among teaching colleagues about what they learn in the workshop.

Draft Agenda

Resources

• CMS

• ATLAS detector animation

• CMS detector overview

• Large Hadron rap

• LHC in 10 min

SUNY at Buffalo (UB) has joined QuarkNet in early 2006. Mentors of the group are UB experimental High Energy Physicists, Prof. Ia Iashvili and Prof. Avto Kharchilava. UB Experimental HEP group has sponsored its 8^th annual QuarkNet Summer Workshop in Buffalo during August 19-21. This year we had 7 teachers taking part in the Workshop: two lead teachers (David McClary and Larry Hiller) who have been with the center since the beginning, and five participating teachers. Three out of these are new teachers (two female and one male), who have joined UB QuarkNet this year. The teachers are  from 6 different schools,  5 of which are  public schools and 1 is a private school. 

The workshop had the following format. The first day was dedicated to general presentations on particle physics. These were aimed, particularly, at new teachers. The second day, we presented and discussed the latest Higgs results from CMS. Both days, the teachers exchanged ideas about how to incorporate HEP topics in their classroom instructions.  They also took data using cosmic muon detector at Physics Department Cosmic lab.  Finally, on day three, tour more experienced teachers discussed cosmic e-lab features. We then exchanged the ideas on how to improve Masterclass preparations for students.

Earlier this year, on March 15, UB Quarknet center participated in the CMS Masterclass. Four students from two high schools were divided into two groups to analyze Z®ee, Z®mumu, W®enu and W®munu events using CMS event display. Different groups analyzed different batches of data, and compared their findings. At the end of the data analyses session, students combined their data to measure relative fraction of Z events compared to W events, ratio of W+ over W-,  and to check lepton universality. They have also created distributions of various quantities. Students, also “discovered” low mass resonances, J/Y and ¡. Finally, the students shared their findings and participated in discussions over Vidyo with other participating Masterclass groups  (Boston and Detroit) also presenting their results. Students found Masterclass experience useful and informative about HEP as a whole and about the collaborative nature of the HEP experimental research.

Mentors: Ia Iashvili, Avto Kharchilava