CERN and Education: Inspiring Physics Learning for Teachers and Students

Overview

Thinking of CERN, one normally picture advanced particle physics rarely taught in secondary schools. While CERN's primary mission is to expand the frontiers of physics, its contributions extend far beyond. CERN has played a key role in creating technologies like the World Wide Web, touchscreens, PET scans, and of course, education.

In this seminar, the speakers will share how CERN designs educational resources and programs to make physics engaging and accessible for students. These include downloadable lessons and experiments, simplified theories from cutting-edge research, and opportunities for students to propose and participate in experiments carried out at CERN. The speakers will also discuss CERN’s summer camps, where students join workshops, lectures, and collaborative projects.

For teachers, CERN offers unique opportunities to collaborate with world-class physicists to enhance physics education. Last summer, we had the privilege of visiting CERN, where we exchanged ideas with researchers to make physics teaching more effective and inspiring.

In this seminar, participants can understand:
1. how CERN resources can be integrated into physics teaching;
2. examples of student activities and experiments inspired by CERN’s work; and
3. insights from our experience at CERN to make physics learning more engaging.