education

In 1979, then-Director Leon Lederman of the Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory decided he wanted to do some teaching again, to regain the contact with young minds he had enjoyed as a professor at Columbia University. The resulting Saturday Morning Physics program at Fermilab has spread immeasurable benefits among some 6,000 high school-aged students over the past 25 years.

From historical scientists to hands-on activities, from an accelerator tour to a liquid-nitrogen show, the Family Open House on Sunday, February 13 at the Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory offers something for the entire family.

Inaugurating a new phase of the QuarkNet education program, four local high school students spent eight weeks soldering electronic equipment, writing code for computer programs, analyzing data from particle physics experiments, standing shifts in a particle detector control room, attending lectures and collaboration meetings, and experiencing the real-life environment and challenges of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.