education

Workshops around the world train science teachers to incorporate particle physics into their classrooms.

From DOE, Dec. 9, 2020: Computer Science Education Week is aimed at inspiring students to discover computer science activities and careers. The national laboratories, including Fermilab, are scheduled to host a number of activities to highlight The Department of Energy’s efforts, including increasing access to computer science education, building computational literacy, and growing the cyber workforce of the future.

Fermilab and partners in northern Illinois have established the region as a leader in particle accelerator science and technology. Few places in the world boast such a concentrated effort in particle acceleration research, developing and building cutting-edge particle accelerators, and growing an accelerator-focused workforce.

Physics courses have a reputation among university students: If you don’t do well, then you probably weren’t meant to study science after all. Studies have shown that those who face the worst consequences from this mentality are those who are already less likely to be found in many STEM fields: women, underrepresented minorities and students from low-income backgrounds. The SEISMIC project aims to make introductory STEM courses successful for everyone.

Fermilab’s popular outreach program for high school students, started in 1980, takes full advantage of modern technology to reach a broader audience. Recordings now are available online.

Quantum computing will affect the future of every area of science, creating the need for a quantum-fluent workforce. In collaboration with two high school teachers, a group of Fermilab theorists has developed a quantum computing course for high school students. With this course, Fermilab scientists are breaking new ground in both quantum computing research and supporting the competitiveness of the STEM workforce in the quantum era.

From DOE, May 20, 2020: Lee C. Teng is now 93 years old. The internship that bears his name was created jointly by Fermilab, Argonne National Laboratory and the U.S. Particle Accelerator School in 2007. He started work at Fermilab in 1967 and spent the next 22 years working in high-energy physics. After a two-year leave of absence that started in 1983, he picked up again at Fermilab, working until 2004, when he retired.

Fermilab takes its popular STEM Career Expo to the web. This year the annual event, an opportunity for high school students to hear from more than two dozen STEM professionals about their careers, is offered as five recorded panel discussions now available on the Fermilab website. Students can learn how neutrino physicists, bioinformatics scientists, actuaries and others got to where they are and hear from people who work jobs in fields that students might pursue in the coming years.

Browse Fermilab’s many online resources to dive into the wonderful world of particle physics.

Amanda Early is one of 79 physics educators selected to be a STEP UP Program ambassador. STEP UP ambassadors are high school physics teachers that train others on how to effectively reduce barriers for women in physics. The program mobilizes thousands of teachers to help engage young women in physics and inspire them to pursue physics in college.