Beth Marchant Department of Physics University of Notre Dame

The QuarkNet Collaboration A Partnership of Research Scientists

and High School Teachers and Students

Beth Marchant

Department of Physics

University of Notre Dame

B. Marchant, Notre Dame American Geological Union San Francisco, CA 12 December 2003 2

QuarkNet Motivating Factors

• Particle Physics involves a long-term investment in research and education. Experiments…

– Typically take at several decades to execute.– Are international in scope.– Require significant manpower and funding

resources – Many students are trained in the process of

this experimentation.• Traditionally, these have been graduate and

undergraduate students.

• We have learned some hard lessons in recent years…

– The loss of the Superconducting Supercollider project is an exemplar.

– It is important to keep the public well-informed of the importance and the need for (the continued) support for large scale scientific projects.


Roots

• 1997: Several people got together and made a study of the breadth of Education and Outreach in Particle Physics.– Michael Barnett, LBNL, ATLAS Education Coordinator

– Marge Bardeen, Director, Fermilab Education Office

– Joey Huston, Michigan State

– Randy Ruchti, Notre Dame, USCMS Education Coordinator

• A booklet was produced (with supplemental funding from NSF) and presented to the National Science Board. – An incredible amount of activity was going on.

– Although excellent, the effort was largely incoherent.


Approach

• To reach HS Students through HS Teachers.• To immerse HS Teachers in research experiences with Particle

Physicist Mentors.• Program would be national in scope and would be built initially around

hadron collider physics.• The goal would be an active research community consisting of

traditional and non-traditional participants.• It would seek new funding sources, to minimize the “tax” on the

research community.• It would be “grass roots”, not submitted to any specific agency program

or project. • It would be science driven.

It was decided to make a proposal to NSF and DOE to create a coherent program.


Objectives

• Provide coherence to a national program of education and outreach.– Strength in numbers and better planning. Affiliation with major projects.

• Provide resources and contacts over a sustained period of time.– Continuity over several years for impact and evaluation.

• Attract teachers, students and the public to the excitement of physics at the energy frontier.– Building a community with scientific literacy and interest.

• To aid others to successfully secure research funding…– An education and outreach component is now required in proposal

submission (mandatory at NSF).– A variety of strategies may be required to accomplish a successful

program.– QuarkNet can help to fulfill this requirement.


10 Associate Teachers

4 PI’sO. K. Baker M. BardeenM. Barnett R. Ruchti

5 QuarkNet StaffK. Cecire A.

ErzbergerT. Jordan B.

MarchantP. Mooney

Center 1

Center 3

Typical Center

Center 58

Center 59

Center 60

Center 2 --------------------

2 Mentors 2 Lead Teachers

QuarkNet Project Structure


What is QuarkNet?

• High school teachers are partnered with particle physicists who act as mentors.

• Teachers get summer research experience.

• Centers are established so that additional teachers, students and physicists are included in the program.

• Up to 60 centers are planned over a 6-year growth period.

• The proponents for this idea and project: – M. Bardeen (Director, Fermilab Education Office)

– R. M. Barnett (LBNL, Atlas Education Coordinator)

– O. Keith Baker (Hampton University)

– R. Ruchti (Notre Dame, USCMS Education Coordinator)

• Program is funded by NSF/MPS, NSF/ESIE and DOE– Preliminary program 1998; Full program 1999 +


QuarkNet Center Locations - 2003


What does QuarkNet provide?

• First Year– 2 lead teachers, Fermilab 1-week Lead Teacher Institute, plus

additional 7-week research experience

• Second Year– 2 lead teachers, 10 associate teachers, 3-week Center Institute

• Third Year– 12 associate teachers, 1-week Center Institute

• Beyond the Fifth Year– 12 associate teachers, 1-week Center Institute

– In one of these years an additional lead teacher, 1-week Lead Teacher Institute, plus additional 7-week research experience

– 4 high school student researchers for 8-week research experience


For Teachers

• National connectivity– Website, listservs, project office

– Contact with staff teachers

• Opportunities to attend professional meetings– AAPT, APS, DPF, regional and local group meetings

– Collaboration meetings

• Classroom transfer– Instructional materials

– Modeling, inquiry-based techniques

– Grid-based instructional methodologies under development

• Stipend and academic credit


QuarkNet Plans

• Grow the QuarkNet National Program to 60 Centers– Add high school student researchers

• Develop Data Sets for Classroom Use– From Tevatron Run II experiments

– From LHC test beams

– From cosmic rays

– From other experiments

• Continue to Develop Classroom Transfer– Instructional Techniques (such as modeling)

– Classroom Experiments and Equipment Development


Summary

• QuarkNet serves to:– Advance scientific literacy and culture in society.

– Provide a research emersion experience for teachers and students.

– Take a long term focus on societal needs as well as experimental needs.

• After five years in-program, we are definitely underway toward an exciting future of physics and associated educational opportunities.


http://quarknet.fnal.gov/[email protected]

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Beth Marchant Department of Physics University of Notre Dame