On Saturday 14 March, researchers from the Department of Physics were involved with the ATOM Festival of Science and Technology. They ran stalls on particle physics and quantum science at the Science Market in the centre of Abingdon to share their enthusiasm for the fascinating world of fundamental particles and the mysterious processes through which they interact.
The particle physics stall was run by Dr Sam Henry, with Professor Todd Huffman and Professor Kimberly Palladino, postdoctoral researcher Dr Paolo Franchini, graduate students George Shaoze Lin and Marcelo Bovill, and undergraduate student Adam Seward. Throughout the day, they spoke with families, students and curious passers-by about the building blocks of the universe. The stall featured interactive displays and posters explaining how experiments in particle physics help scientists investigate big questions such as 'What is Dark Matter?' and 'Why is the universe today is dominated by matter, when Big Bang created matter and antimatter in equal amounts?'
'It is always a real treat to help with the physics stalls at the ATOM Festival,' commented Professor Huffman. 'Many people came to talk with us and wonder with us about the incredible universe we live in, all that we have discovered about it and have yet to discover. My favourite challenge is to explain high energy particle physics to four and five-year-olds. Many of them have the best questions!'
Dr Franchini, a researcher working on the DarkSide experiment, said, 'Speaking about science with people of different ages and backgrounds, and always being met with a smile and a sense of shared curiosity, truly made my day.'
Participating in events like the ATOM Science Market is an important part of the department’s outreach and public engagement efforts. 'We want to bridge the gap between fundamental research and the wider world and let everyone know how exciting the work done at the Large Hadron Collider is,' commented Dr Henry. 'We can use particle physics to promote wider science and technology and get more young people into STEM. The ATOM Science Market is a great place to reach people who don’t normally engage with science – they just came into Abingdon to do their shopping – but are happy to learn about the exploration of the universe.'