Student and teacher in front of research posters

Providing opportunities for physicists of the future

Fundamental particles and interactions
Particle Physics

The Department of Physics at the University of Oxford plays a key role at CERN and has teams not only involved in the Large Hadron Collider’s major experiments but also shaping the future of these experiments. With a long history too of nurturing a passion for physics among young people, it was only a matter of time before the two combined – and Big Data: ATLAS was born.

Big Data: ATLAS gives students aged 16 or older from UK state schools, sixth-forms and colleges, the opportunity to work with data from the ATLAS detector at CERN and so observe the results of proton-proton collisions. Schools and colleges can choose to join the programme and teachers have up to four weeks of time allocated to preparing to launch the programme in their home institution using the programme’s clear guidance documents, supported by a project lead. For the next 11 weeks, students learn and hone valuable research skills; using online resources, they are taught how to use Python to access and manipulate the ATLAS data and ultimately, to search for the Higgs boson. For the next 18 weeks, students go on to use their newfound skills to develop a research idea of their own using the ATLAS data before preparing a presentation to showcase their work to conclude the programme.

The University of Oxford worked with the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) to develop the programme along with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.  

‘The ATLAS experiment produces vast amounts of data and the more eyes we can get on that data, the better,’ explains Professor Alan Barr from the Department of Physics. ‘It is such a brilliant opportunity to get young people interested in and fired up about particle physics. Today’s school children are, of course, the scientific leaders of the future and their ideas and experiments will change our understanding of the universe in ways that we can’t even imagine.’

Big Data: ATLAS is recruiting schools and colleges now

Find out more about Big Data: ATLAS: https://researchinschools.org/projects/big-data-atlas/
Sign your school or college up to join Big Data: ATLAS: https://researchinschools.org/join/

If you have any questions about the programme and how to join, please contact Richard Phillips, Regional Schools Engagement Lead, IRIS: richardphillips@researchinschools.org