The Overview.

Why do it?

As far as we gathered the reasons were two-fold. First of all CERN tries to answer the BIG questions about nature. This can seem a little bit futile if the curiosity that raises the questions is not shared by a larger part of the public and if the answers that are found stay with a few select experts. As physics teachers we are supposed to be experts in transferring this kind of knowledge to an non-specialist audience. As enthusiastic physics teachers we can also spread the curiosity.

Secondly, physicists all over Europe are increasingly worried about the declining numbers of physics students, and more generally about the declining interest in physics. Therefore, they are looking for ways in which CERN could help to reverse this trend, and teachers occupy an important position in this respect. Summer schools provide a way to get in touch with teachers, but other initiatives may also receive warm support.

Preparations.

Contents of the 1999 Summer School.

The main aim for our time here was to work on several projects that would link the knowledge and experience gained to the classroom. We formed working groups that tackled four such projects:
i) The development of a web site to serve as a resource for high school teachers throughout Europe for the teaching of physics in general and particle physics in particular.
ii) The production of booklet to teach physics through particle physics to 15 year old high school students.
iii) A discussion group to look at the Microcosm exhibit and suggest approaches to redirecting the main exhibit to high school age visitors - the core of their "customers".
iv) The development and location of experiments, unusual, simple and cheap, to illustrate the ideas of atomic and particle physics in the classroom.

All of these are large tasks and our three weeks did not allow thorough completion. However, the contacts we have made and the presence of a web site means that over the next few months this work can be completed and made available to all teachers.

The Lectures.

The idea was that lectures could be followed for as long as the level and the nature of the subjects made it interesting to do so. In practice, most of us followed a large part of the programme. The lecturing capabilities of most of the appointed lecturers made it interesting to stay, even when the level was too high to lead to real comprehension (which for most of us stopped about the middle of week two).

Introduction to CERN and Particle Physics by L. Maiani. A whistle-stop tour of CERN, its organisation and its research. This was an elementary introduction.

Radiation Protection by G. Stevenson. A very good lecture which gave a lot of useful information on the biological effects of radiation and how exposure can be measured and controlled.

Basic Concepts in Particle Physics by E. Lillestol. For a physics teacher this was a highly comprehensible series of lectures and also a gold mine containing lots of simplifying analogies and illustrative examples that we can bring with us to our classrooms. After lectures like these you realise what can be done with particle physics in a high school curriculum. Highly recommended.

Fundamental Concepts in Particle Physics by R. Kleiss. This series of lectures has a very steep gradient. In 6 lectures we are brought from an introduction for the non-specialist into field-theoretical concepts. Everyone should follow as long as they can understand at least 20% of the content - and include the last lecture. We all drowned inspired (at different times depending on background in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory). Highly recommended.

Classic Experiments by R. Cahn. A series of three lectures outlining the major discoveries in particle physics and the experiments that led to them. A very clear set of lectures, again advanced at times, that brought out the development of both the subject and its experimental techniques very well. Recommended.

The Standard Model by C. Quigg. This series of lectures starts from the Maxwell gauge in a quantum mechanical context and the Aharanov-Bohm effect. Very steep gradient indeed. Having said that the first lecture is accessible and clarified several points from earlier series. Chris Quigg is a very good lecturer and tends to have evening discussion sessions over beer and wine!

Big Experiments by G. Rolandi. As physicists most of us are not all that interested in the economics and the politics inside CERN or between CERN and its environment. But without it there would be no LEP or LHC. Interesting or not - we ought to be pleased to learn something about the boundary conditions that makes a place like this possible.

Detectors by J. Virdee. This is the detective-story about what seeing means in the context of particle physics. Includes a wealth of exciting physics. This is a field where the requirements of physics have been pushing the limits of what is technologically feasible. A series of lectures that are accessible for anyone.

Trigger and Data Acquisition by P. Mato Vila. In the detectors there is an enormous data production. In LHC there will be a beam crossing every 25ns. This is the time it will take a signal to travel 5m in a cable. It is clearly necessary to filter out uninteresting data as soon as possible, and to process the events in a super-efficient way. The first lectures are on an elementary level that should be accessible to all.

From Raw Data to Physics Results by R. Jacobsen. An entertaining guide on how to turn a string of 1's and 0's into the pretty pictures you see on all the posters.

Computing by Tony Cass. The amount of interconnected computing power makes one wonder when it will start living! This is the heart of CERN technology and an area in which they are pushing the limits all the time. Very accessible and interesting lectures.

Discussion Sessions on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Here is where we could have asked questions about lectures given the last week. However, they tend to follow the dictates of the more numerous summer school students and were of limited value to us.

Apart from the regular summer student lectures we where treated to a wealth of lectures and guided tours for physics teachers only.
 

Lectures and guided tours for physics teachers only.

FermiLab Education Projects by L. Quigg. What CERN is trying to develop in these summer schools for teachers FermiLab has been doing for several years now. This introduction from Liz not only showed what was possible and gave us ideas but also showed us what had already been done and didn't need repeating.

Introduction to the Physics of Particle Accelerators by Ted Wilson. A clear exposition of how the machines actually work by someone who has been designing and building them for two decades or more. The staggering amount of accelerators in use around the world for industrial purposes (not only research but also production) was a surprise to many of us. A growing number of accelerators are also used in hospitals both as a diagnostic tool and for radiation therapy.

Particle Physics and Cosmology by A. de Rujula was a brilliantly clear and funny exposition of the history of the universe and its constituents.

Visit at one of the LEP-experiments (in our case Delphi). This was one of the real highlights. Mind-boggling to see what an "experiment" actually looks like!

Microcosm. This is the permanent exhibit about CERN's work and is aimed at the general public. At the moment they are in the process of redesigning it so not only did we get the guided tour, but we were also asked to contribute ideas and suggestions for the new version.

Hands-on Activities from CERN by J. Gillies. CERN have begun a programme of school visits and are also developing software aimed at schools. We were shown some of the highly entertaining demonstration they do at local schools. Several of us also volunteered to help pilot their first CD-ROM aimed at use by schools.

When we were not working.

We lived on the CERN site in the apartment block (39).

If you want to get up into the Juras you can take the direct (all-paths-die-on-you) route - or more easily go to St Crozet from which you can take a cable car (runs every day).

Geneva is 25 minutes by bus from CERN. There you can go sight seeing or irradiate yourself at one of the bathing piers that are within 10 minutes walk of the city centre. For those who want a good view of the whole area, Juras, Alps and the Lake, go to the top of Le Saleve.

It is also worth noting that Chamonix, with the Mont Blanc massif, is close enough for a day trip and several of us went.

Oh, and if you are here over the 14th of July both Geneva and St. Genis have Bastille Day celebrations to join in. And Montreux has the Jazz festival. And we caught this year's Paleo Festival.

So the evenings and weekends were pretty quiet ...

Summary.

We learned a lot! If you get the opportunity come. It is a rare experience you will not regret having.

Also, it seems obvious from the effort CERN put into this event, expanding it from last year, and from the many request for involvement and ideas we had from various parts of their "publicity" machinery, that the physicists here are serious about getting their message into schools. Ideas are already being discussed to develop, through the summer school, a teachers network across Europe. This can only be a good thing and we hope it succeeds.
 
 

Jedes Jahr im Sommer tauchen viele neue Gesichter im CERN (=Europäisches Kernforschungszentrum in der Nähe von Genf) auf. Normalerweise gehören sie zu den Sommerstudenten, für die CERN jedes Jahr eine Vorlesungsreihe veranstaltet. Doch letzten Sommer wurde ein Pilotprojekt für "High School" Lehrer mit 8 Physiklehrern gestartet. Heuer durften 23 Lehrer aus 17 Mitgliedsstaaten von CERN und den USA im Juli 3 Wochen lang die Atmosphäre dieser einzigartigen "Teilchenfabrik" genießen. Ich, Lehrerin für Mathematik und Physik an der HTL in Wels, war die Teilnehmerin aus Österreich. Es war mein dritter Aufenthalt im CERN nach einer kurzen Besichtigung und einem wunderbaren viertägigen Seminar im Februar dieses Jahres mit 20 Lehrer aus ganz Österreich unter der Leitung von Dr. Christian Gottfried. Was uns schon damals überraschte, war die Offenheit, mit der uns die dort arbeitenden Wissenschafter gegenübertraten. Sie beantworteten geduldig unsere oft von Unwissenheit zeugenden Fragen. Groß war daher meine Freude, als ich erfuhr, daß meine Bewerbung für das Sommerseminar angenommen wurde.

Welches Interesse verfolgt CERN mit diesem Projekt? Wie uns Michelangelo Mangano und Marcella Diemoz, die Koordinatoren des Seminars, erklärten, ist das Hauptziel nicht, neue Physiker auszubilden (obwohl die Zahl der Physikstudenten in vielen Ländern sinkt), sondern durch die Begeisterung der Lehrer für dieses Fach, das Interesse an modernen Naturwissenschaften bei den Schülern zu wecken und sie mit einem Basiswissen und Verständnis auch für moderne Erkenntnisse und Technologien auszustatten. "Physik Lernen soll Spaß machen"- war das Motto dieser Veranstaltung.

Ein weiterer wichtiger Punkt war der Austausch von Erfahrungen der einzelnen Teilnehmer. So stellten sich am ersten Tag alle Teilnehmer vor und gaben einen Überblick über ihren Unterricht bzw. den Lehrplan. Dieses Thema war auch Schwerpunkt aller Gespräche bei den informellen Zusammenkünften in der Cafeteria, wo wir vor allem die Mittagszeit und die Abendstunden verbrachten. (Übrigens trifft man dort mit etwas Glück auch auf Nobelpreisträger.) Dabei zeigten sich viele Unterschiede in der Stundenanzahl, den Lehrinhalten (so ist z.B. Teilchenphysik noch nicht überall im Lehrplan), der Klassengröße, der Ausstattung für Experimente und der Beurteilung (z.B. beurteilt teilweise ein Lehrer einer anderen Schule und stellt auch die Aufgaben). In manchen Ländern liegt der Schwerpunkt in Physik auf der Theorie inklusive Berechnungen unter Verwendung höherer Mathematik, in anderen auf der Beschreibung und Veranschaulichung der Phänomene durch Analogien aus dem täglichen Leben. Auch der Stellenwert von Experimenten ist sehr unterschiedlich, so gibt es in manchen Ländern Vorschriften über die Anzahl der durchzuführenden Experimente und die Verpflichtung für Schülerexperimente.

Diese Unterschiede waren auch bei unseren Projekten in den einzelnen Arbeitsgruppen zu berücksichtigen. Ziel dieser Aktivitäten war es, Materialien für den Unterricht über Teilchenphysik zu erstellen. So wurde die Arbeit an den Internetseiten, die letztes Jahr begonnen wurde, fortgesetzt. Man findet sie unter http://teachers.cern.ch/ und sie beinhalten unter anderem nützliche Informationen über Lehrpläne der einzelnen Länder, Teilnehmer des Seminars, Bücherliste, Links zu wichtigen Internetseiten, Beschreibung von Experimenten, die auch in der Klasse durchgeführt werden können, (wir hatten die Gelegenheit, einige live zu erleben) und Informationen über einen Besuch bei CERN. Es wurde auch begonnen, ein Unterrichtsbuch für Schüler zu verfassen, bisher existiert jedoch nur eine Inhaltsangabe, die ebenfalls unter der oben angegebenen Adresse zu finden ist.

Jeden Vormittag verbrachten wir mit 157 Sommerstudenten im großen Auditorium um gemeinsam die Vorlesungen zu verfolgen, eine Erfahrung ,die die meisten von uns schon lange nicht mehr gemacht hatten. Nach einer Einführung von Direktor Luciano Maiani standen "Strahlenschutz", "Einführung in die Teilchenphysik", "Fundamentale Konzepte", "Das Standardmodell", "Klassische Experimente der Teilchenphysik", "Große Experimente", "Teilchendetektoren", "Trigger und Datenerfassung", "Von den Rohdaten zu Physikresultaten" und "Computing im CERN" am Programm. Manchmal war das Englisch der Vortragenden das größere Problem, aber im Laufe der Zeit wurden es die mathematischen Beschreibungen und fehlende oder schon längst vergessene Kenntnisse der theoretischen Physik. Trotz dieser Schwierigkeiten waren diese Stunden eine Bereicherung, da sie einen Einblick in den neuesten Wissensstands und die Arbeitsweise der Physiker lieferten. Es wurde immer wieder auf noch offene Fragen, die sich aufgrund der Experimente bzw. Theorien ergeben, hingewiesen und in den zweimal wöchentlich stattfindenden Fragestunden diskutiert. Besonders wichtige Inhalte für den Unterricht scheinen mir nach diesen drei Wochen: der Zusammenhang zwischen Teilchenphysik, Kosmologie und Urknall und das Standardmodell mit drei Familien Leptonen (es wurde immer wieder darauf hingewiesen, daß die experimentellen Daten am besten mit drei Familien übereinstimmen), den drei Quark Familien und den Austauschteilchen der vier fundamentalen Wechselwirkungen. Umfassende Informationen erhielten wir auch über den neuen Beschleuniger LHC (Large Hadron Collider), dessen Fertigstellung für 2005 geplant ist, und der im Gegensatz zum derzeitigen LEP (Large Electron Positron Collider) Protonen und Ionen beschleunigen wird. Durch die höheren Energien dieses Beschleunigers möchte man das Higgsboson nachweisen und damit die Theorie des Higgsmechanismus bestätigen, der verantwortlich für die Masse der Teilchen sein soll. Der LHC wird anstelle des LEP in die bestehende 27 km lange Tunnelröhre gebaut.

An den Nachmittagen gab es ein Spezialprogramm für uns Lehrer, etwa Vorlesungen z.B. über Teilchenphysik und Kosmologie oder Anwendungen der Beschleuniger nicht nur in der Physik, sondern auch in Medizin und Technik, die direkt für den Unterricht umsetzbar sind.

Ein Höhepunkt des Aufenthalts war zweifellos die Besichtigung eines der riesigen Detektoren des LEP, nämlich Delphi. Es ist schon ein eigenartiges Gefühl, wenn man weiß, daß während man oben am Detektor steht, Teilchen einige Meter darunter aufeinanderprallen. Besonders interessant war auch ein Nachmittag, an dem je vier bis sechs Lehrer unmittelbar an Versuchen teilnehmen und so die Arbeit eines Physikers hautnah erleben konnten.

Vielfache Informationen erhielten wir über Unterlagen von CERN für Schulen, was für mich der Grund war, diesen Artikel zu schreiben. Es werden Dia, Poster, Broschüren und Videokassetten (z.B. "Die unterirdischen Sterne" auch in Deutsch!) kostenlos an Schulen verschickt. (Übrigens gibt es Material auch von DESY in Hamburg gegen Porto.) In Planung sind eine CD-ROM mit Bildern vom CERN, die auch im Internet zur Verfügung stehen (sehr empfehlenswert: Bild der Woche: http://outreach.cern.ch/public/cern/Page1.html), eine CD-ROM, mit Daten von CERN Detektoren, wo Teilchen aufgrund ihrer Spuren identifiziert werden sollen. Außerdem wird für November ein Webcasting über Antimaterie direkt aus einem CERN-Studio vorbereitet.

Daß CERN auch keine Berührungsängste mit anderen Forschungseinrichtungen hat, beweist die Tatsache, daß ein Nachmittag für die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und die Aktivitäten für den Physikunterricht am Fermilab, Chicago reserviert war. (Das Fermilab bietet übrigens im Internet Information zu diesem Thema auch mit Spielen).

Zum Abschluß möchte ich noch darauf hinweisen, daß ein Besuch von CERN auch mit einer Klasse ohne große Schwierigkeiten möglich und sehr empfehlenswert ist. Auch die permanente Ausstellung: "Mikrokosmos" ist kostenlos zu besichtigen .

Es waren drei Wochen voller Information und Arbeit, aber es blieb auch Zeit für anderes, z.B. Genf zu besichtigen, wandern und feiern. Für mich war es eine wunderbare Erfahrung und ich hoffe, daß dieses Programm auch nächstes Jahr durchgeführt wird.

Genauere Informationen bzw. Internetadressen finden Sie unter http://teachers.cern.ch/. Für Ergänzungen dieser Internetseiten wäre ich sehr dankbar. Bitte wenden Sie sich an mich:.

Bettina Burger
HTL Wels
Fischergasse 30
4600 Wels

E-mail: b.burger@mail.asn-linz.ac.at
 

I flew from Heathrow on the 5th July. As a consequence of an ill disciplined crate of 1500kg of mangos, noisily shifted by a burly engineer and a 3' crowbar, the plane was delayed by half an hour. The video for the safety demo did not work - not encouraging - but we arrived late and intact at Geneva, pitched from an air conditioned plane into a heady humidity that erupted into a spectacular and prolonged thunder storm. That evening the group that soon was to engender such very close friendships met for the first time over a few beers on the terrace, that focal point of the Meyrin site.

The three week programme, piloted last summer with eight participants, is nurtured by Michelangelo Mangano and Marcella Diemoz. For a while Liz Quigg (Fermilab) joined us and Frank Close was also at a couple of our final sessions. The schedule's most tangible content is a programme of lectures and visits in CERN. However CERN also appreciates the potential that can be released by supporting and improving the teaching of particle physics - and physics in general - in Europe and beyond, and provides this platform for teachers to meet together and discuss and develop individual ideas for the benefit of all. The uptake of Physics in high school continues to shrink. We are not just educating the physicists of the future, but also the lawyers, economists and so on, who in an ideal world would be scientifically discerning with a well founded appreciation of modern ideas as well as the traditional. The environment is hugely stimulating, and by 'being there' something intangible but exciting rubs off, all the more so because it encourages one to stretch the mind, some times well beyond the elastic limit.... So often the word 'enthusiasm' came up in our discussions.

Almost all the members states, along with the USA, were represented. Each of the 23 participants gave a short presentation about themselves and their teaching, exemplified by the various syllabi. This was an eye opening experience since everyone could communicate in English from countries as distant as Finland, Greece and Portugal. For some there is no national scheme, for others there is a predominance of theory, and there are huge variations in equipment standard and class size. The UK is regarded highly. 'Nuffield' was a term well understood. For those more used to a mathematical approach, the reliance we can place on conceptual understanding and the absence of calculus in our A-level physics was a surprise.

The Student Summer Programme, which starts simultaneously but runs for longer, provided our lectures. Director General Luciano Maiani opened with a broad summary of Particle Physics. There were lecture series by leading theoreticians and experimentalists from around the world. The CERN Bulletin called this a 'step back in time' - for some an alarmingly large step and a worryingly long time - but even in the more complex material there was enough to stimulate our thinking. We also had our own lectures and presentations, including the Webcasting project, which aims to broadcast live via the internet to a target audience of 15 year olds in school.

We visited the LEP, which was a strange experience; I had only seen the accelerator during winter maintenance when you can see much more. Going over the top of the huge Delphi detector was impressive but one is unaware of the creative events happening many times per second a few metres below. Maybe one day someone will be standing in such a place blissfully unaware that the definitive Higgs event has occurred under his feet. The area is virtually deserted, the control room and data displays nowhere near.

Often the afternoons were set aside for listening, talking and seeing, out of which specific projects began to be explored. One group started a new basic particle physics booklet, another extended the website begun last year. A beta issue of a CD ROM, which gives a background to detectors and uses real data for analysis, was evaluated. It will be available in its final form in mid-2000. Ideas were offered for Microcosm, which is about to begin another restructuring. And finally material was compiled for experiments in particle and modern physics that might be achieved by schools within sensible - which too often means minimal - budgets. These group were fluid; everyone could contribute where and when they wished. Flexibility is a feature of the programme, and this took some time to assimilate.

Much of our work will be on the High School Teachers website, which should become a major route of communication to a much wider audience, and will be developed by successive Summer Schools. (This is at teachers.cern.ch). A primary function is to advise teachers either on Particle Physics or on CERN. All our e-mail addresses are published there. I know that many of us also want to look for personal ways of talking to colleagues and students about what is happening at CERN.

It is hard as yet to quantify what I learnt or can transfer to the classroom. There was no point at which I felt I had experienced my 'road to Damascus' but a primary objective was to get involved with a major programme to enhance the uptake of physics in schools. Insofar as the UK is well into a major reappraisal of A-level syllabi (now called specifications) then from that standpoint the programme has unfortunately arrived a little late to have immediate impact. CERN values the input from teachers, who have had to cope with double physics on a wet Friday afternoon; it is common experience that the 'harder' parts of the syllabus are often those that are done the best, because the student, certainly at 6th form level, rises to the challenge. Together we re-examined the ways we teach and our priorities. Teachers are used to being given specific tasks or objectives; researchers find and solve their own problems. It has been a valuable and invigorating experience to return to the research environment. Each of us evolved individual programmes within the broad structure. Projects mentioned above are continuing; we now are at home but many of us are still working together.

This was the experience of a lifetime and one that I would not have missed for anything. It was not all work of course. Several friends scrambled or went by cable car up the Jura and the Alps, and everyone spent some time in Geneva. Our American friends produced an excellent pasta meal, eaten outside the hostel and which hastily reconvened when the lawn sprinklers came on. Our French colleague entertained us en plein air at her home, and Michelangelo was our host for the final evening at his delightful house on the slopes of the Jura with a breathtaking view across to Mont Blanc.

The Summer Programme was a unique opportunity for me to question my understanding, to allow me to examine my approach to research and to give as well as to take. I must express huge gratitude to Michelangelo and Marcella and many others at CERN, but equally I am so thankful to all my new and special friends whose congeniality and enthusiasm made the three weeks so exciting and memorable.

LANKAU - Im neuen Lehrplan für Hamburger Gymnasien, bald auch für die Gesamtschulen, wird das Thema "Teilchenphysik" bereits in Jahrgang zehn integriert.

Der Tatsache, dass die moderne Physik der vergangenen Jahrzehnte nicht in die Schulen getragen wurde und somit unsere Schüler und Lehrer nicht auf dem Stand
der Erkenntnisse sind, soll damit Rechnung getragen werden, sagt Detlef Kaack aus Lankau. Der Lehrer erklärt in diesem Zusammenhang weiter, dass das CERN
(Laboratoire Européen pour la Physique des Particules) in Genf eine internationale Fortbildung anbietet, um Lehrern diese wissenschaftliche Physik nahezubringen
und die europaische Zusammenarbeit auf Schulniveau zu fördern. CERN ist ein europäisches Projekt, das (bei Genf gelegen) sich auf die Suche der sogenannten
"Weltformel" begibt. Hier werden subatomare Teilchen wie Elektronen und Positronen auf nahezu Lichtgeschwindigkeit beschleunigt, um dann zur Kollision gebracht
zu werden.

Detlef Kaack konnte in der Schweiz an einem dreiwöchigen Intensivprogramm teilnehmen, das unter anderem Vorlesungen mit Physik-Professoren aus den USA,
Norwegen, Holland, Italien über die Themen Teilchenphysik, Modellbildung, Messmethoden und anderes beinhaltete. Darüber hinaus wurden in Arbeitsgruppen
Themen erörtert, die für Schulen und Lehrer weltweit von Nutzen sein könnten. Neue Impulse für die Ausstellung bzw. das Mitmach-Museum "Microcosm"
erarbeitete Kaack mit seinen Kollegen. MP.

The CERN experience for American teachers was a little different than that of the European teachers. Originally, the plan was for each of us to work on a research
project for seven or eight weeks with teams of CERN scientists.  This changed to include a three week collaboration with eighteen European teachers and to reduce
the research time to four weeks.  I was initially disappointed with the change. I have attended a number of teacher conferences and considered this to be yet another.
Given a choice, I would have opted for full time research.  That would have been a very serious mistake.  The experience of working with such a dedicated,
hardworking, friendly group was incredible.  A mathematician and computer scienctist, I have a renewed respect for physics and a new knowledge of high energy
physics.

To say the facility at CERN was incredible would be an understatement.  It is spread out in two countries, Switzerland and France with over 20 member states and
the United States contributing to its support and use.  Tours of the different testing sites of the facility gave us a sense of the immense size and undertaking of the
operation.

The weeks spent collaborating with the other teachers was time well spent.  The basic structure of the schedule was:

     morning lectures on particle physics and related topics
     afternoon sessions which included:
     time for discussions
     meetings with the various education outreach departments at CERN
     tours of test sites and hands-on mini-projects

The lectures propelled us into the world of high energy physics, engineering, and computer science applied and researched at CERN.  At times overwhelming, we
were nevertheless stimulated by the material.  Most lecture series consisted of  3 - 5 parts.  Attendance was expected only as long as the material was at a level and
nature that kept it interesting. The lectures were well chosen and kept our interest even if real comprehension was elusive.  I attended all of the first lectures, most of
the second and a few of the third in the series. As the number of lectures I attended increased, the more familiar the language became.  I was therefore able to follow
concepts discussed by the physicists both in the teachers group and in the research group to which I was eventually assigned.

The afternoon sessions allowed us to explore ideas and topics that would be applicable to our curricula.  Possible project ideas for us to work on were discussed
and then accepted or rejected.  Each idea that was accepted was assigned a project leader responsible for organizing the work of his/her committee.  I chose to
work on the development of the web site under the direction of Phil Hanley (UK). The projects included:

      a book of projects and lessons
     a list of good physics web-sites
     a CD-ROM of particle physics related pictures with script
     a compilation of experiments
     the creation of a web-site tying all the above together.  This can be viewed at http://teachers.cern.ch.

What I found to be surprising was the cohesiveness of the group.  Twenty-two teachers  pretty much spent the entire day together - meals and socializing included.
The patio at the main cafeteria was the central meeting place, making it easy to locate others.  Besides general topics of interest, conversations included discussion of
the lectures, teaching techniques, local and national curricula, and comparisons of students and classes.  As projects started to develop, more time and talk was given
to generate ideas for each particular strand in the works.

This was  a very cooperative group, each sharing ideas and doing his/her best on the chosen task.  On weekends, we took day trips to the mountains to hike or
maybe just to ride the cable car.  Trips to France, whose border was not far from the front gate, were quite frequent.  We Americans hosted a dinner party for the
group one evening on the back lawn of the hostel. We were all guests at the homes of two other participants (Monserrat Grange and Michelangelo Mangano,
program director) in the project as well. The European teachers were sorely missed when they left.  However, we all felt that we had made some strong contacts that
we hope to keep.  This to be facilitated by e-mail.

During the second week of our stay, Jesse Southwick (also an American) and I met with Steven Goldfarb, a scientist on the CMS project and  our CERN contact.
At a luncheon meeting, we discussed plans for the last four weeks of the trip.  He explained his choice of scientists and briefly what he expected we would be doing.
He gave us each materials related to our assignments.  Mine included a note from the physicist with whom I would be working,  a large book detailing the portion of
the LHC on which I would be working (CMS), and a shorter (20 page) description of the smaller,  more specific part I would be involved in (Cathode Strip
Chamber).

Subsequently, I was in contact with Vinnie Polychronakas, a physicist at Brookhaven Laboratory.  We met several times for lunch during my third week at CERN.
He was extremely good at explaining the concept of the muon detector chamber and how it was expected to work.  We talked about physics, math and computer
science (the latter two being my fields of study and teaching).  We agreed that I could perhaps become involved in the data analysis.  He also gave me the name of
the Russian physicists with whom I would be working.  He then returned to the US.

The Russian physicists were also from Brookhaven Lab.  They, too, spent time explaining what they were doing, answering my questions and trying to involve me as
much as possible in the experiment.  The CSC prototype was tested last summer.  This year they were testing new electronics and software.  As often happens in
research (or so I‚m told) there were „unexpected results.‰  The test ran into equipment problems and was on the verge of ending.  I attended a problem solving
meeting with all the scientists at which they discussed what was wrong; what was needed; what was possible; and where to go from that point.  Within a few days,
things were beginning to look good again.  Unfortunately, I left before the test was run.

Lest you think that this summer was all work and no play, let me assure you that weekends and evenings were well spent touring the area.  The Fete de Geneve was
held the first week in August. There was Bastille Day on July 14 and Swiss National Day on August 1.  The Montreaux Jazz Festival ran during the first weeks in July
and there was a solar eclipse on August 11.  There are lakes and mountains and castles and glaciers.   There are museums and churches and archeological sites and
botanical gardens.  There are restaurants and old cities surrounded by new cities. Not to mention chocolate and cheese!  In short, there is a lot to see and do and eat.

This has been a very positive experience for me.  Everything I did, something from everyone I met, I'll bring back to the classroom.  Engaging students with various
aspects of the research experience can only increase their interest in physics, math and science in general.  The cosmology lectures, which I have arranged to have
copied, is a great series for calculus students.  It could also be adapted for other level math classes.  Computer science classes will learn about CERN as the
birthplace of the web and about the computer science end of the project on which I worked.  Physics experiments developed by the teachers assembled at CERN
this summer can be adapted to geometry and problem-solving classes as hands-on „real-life‰ activities.  Many possibilities exist for integrating math and physics
classes.  There is a strong relationship between math, physics, and computer science in research.  All are required in order to successfully investigate the world of
high energy particle physics.

Although I spent the summer working, it was well worth it.

I sommer var jeg så heldig å komme med på et sommerkurs for fysikklærere ved partikkelfysikkens Mekka, CERN utenfor Geneve. CERNs High School
Teachers Programme ble kjørt første gang i fjor - som pilotprosjekt - med åtte deltakere, av dem to norske: Jan Finnby og Jan Pålsgård. I år var det 23 deltakere
og jeg var den eneste norske. Deltakerne var fra 14 europeiske land og fra USA. Liz Quigg fra Fermilab deltok også i kurset en del av tida. Kursledere var
Michelangelo Mangani og Marcella Diemoz. Dessuten bidrog Mick Storr, Frank Close og andre til at kurset ble gjennomført på en utmerket måte. Jeg håper at
programmet vil fortsette i mange år slik at flere norske kolleger får anledning til å delta.

Hovedingrediensene i kurset var:

     Forelesninger
     Orientering om arbeid mot skoler og publikum
     Besøk ved noen av laboratoriene
     Samtaler og diskusjoner med kollegene
     Prosjekter

Forelesningene

De fleste forelesningene var felles med studentene ved CERNs sommerskole for studenter. Disse gikk på formiddagene. På ettermiddagene hadde vi også noen
forelesninger spesielt for oss lærere. Studentenes forelesningsprogram gikk over åtte uker. Vi kunne altså følge de tre første ukene.

Åpningsforelesningen var ved CERNs direktør L. Maiani, som gav en oversikt over partikkelfysikkens historie. Dessuten pekte han ut spennende perspektiver for
framtida med The Large Hadron Collider og et storslått nøytrinoeksperiment som er planlagt ved CERN.

Så kom en rekke forelesninger av framstående teoretikere og eksperimentalfysikere fra mange land. Vår egen professor Egil Lillestøl begynte showet med tre
sprudlende og inspirerende forelesninger over Basic Concepts in Particle Physics. Disse var beregnet på ikkefysikere - og de var da også holdt på et ganske
populært nivå. Men de ble lyttet til med glede av de fleste studentene og av alle oss lærere. Forelesningene - framført med uforliknelig bergensk entusiasme - gav en
god oversikt og inneholdt mange gode pedagogiske ideer.

De neste teoriforelesningene - av Robert Kleiss om Feynman-diagrammer og C. Quigg om standardmodellen - var mer matematiske (for å si det mildt). Mange av
oss gamle fikk gjenoppvekket noen av de (nesten) glemte kunnskapene fra kvantemekanikk og kvanteelektrodynamikk. Selv om jeg må innrømme at noe gikk over
hodet på meg, synes jeg det var inspirerende å måtte strekke hjernevinningene såpass, og for meg var Quiggs forelesninger et høydepunkt.

Parallelt med teoriforelesningene var det forelesninger om klassiske og store eksperimenter, detektorer, trigging og datasamling, bearbeiding av eksperimentelle data
og databehandling generelt ved CERN. Disse forelesningene gav meg mye ny kunnskap og et nesten overveldende inntrykk av de voldsomme dimensjonene i
moderne eksperimentell fysikkforskning.

Blant forelesningene for lærerkurset på ettermiddagstid kan jeg nevne akselleratorfysikk, kosmologi og partikkelfysikk, og en orientering om publikumsorientert
virksomhet ved Fermilab. Særlig kosmolgiforelesningen ved Alvoro de Rujula var pedagogisk mesterlig.

Skole og publikumsorientert arbeid ved CERN

Vi var først på besøk i CERNs publikumsutstilling Microcosm. Dette er en liten, men interessant utstilling som gir en god og populær oversikt over hva som har
foregått, foregår og skal foregå ved CERN. Utenfor museet står noen gamle, "avdankede" instrumenter, bl.a. boblekammeret Gargamelle der de første "svake
nøytrale strømmer" (som var indikasjoner på at virtuelle Z-bosoner fins) ble påvist i 1973.

Vi fikk også en orientering om annet publikumsrettet arbeid. Det blir for eksempel arbeidet med å utarbeide en CD-ROM med bilder og tekster om partikkelfysikk.
Det vil bl.a. bli lagt ut ca. hundre events fra LEP som kan brukes til "elevforskning". Plata kan bestilles hos James Gillies, e-post: James.Gillies@cern.ch. når den er
ferdig utpå høsten. Han regnet med at den vil bli gratis. Noe av materialet til opplegget er lagt ut av Stockholm Universitet på adressen http://vanh.physto.se/~hoc/.

CERNs publikumskontor har mye materiale, brosjyrer, plakater, lysbilder, videofilmer osv. som vi fikk med oss, og som skoler kan få ved å henvende seg til Press &
Publications. CERNs hjemmeside er: http://www.cern.ch. På denne kan du så gå videre bl.a. til pressekontoret.

Besøk ved laboratoriene

For besøk i laboratoriene ble vi delt inn i grupper. Selv var jeg med i den gruppen som besøkte The West Experimental Area. Der tar de inn protonstråler fra
SPS-akselleratoren. De bruker protonstrålen - eller sekundærstråler av antiprotoner, pioner eller andre partikler som blir dannet når protonstrålene skytes mot et
metalltarget - til å teste ut ny apparatur med stråler som har kjente egenskaper. (Oppgave 5 i Terminprøven for våren 2000 i dette heftet er inspirert av dette
besøket. Oppgaven viser hvordan en ved hjelp av en magnet og en spalt velger ut antiprotoner med kjent bevegelsesmengde.) Andre grupper besøkte
Radiofrequency-sites (der ladde partikler blir akselerert av variable elektriske felt) og Radioshowers (der en studerer kosmisk stråling).

Vi fikk alle besøke en av detektorene ved The Large Electron Positron Collider, LEP, nemlig Delphi-detektoren. Den befinner seg i et stort rom i LEP-tunnelen
og er stor som et hus. Vi kunne gå over detektoren, og vi fikk et inntrykk av noe av apparaturen som er pakket rundt den. Folk som hadde vært ved CERN om
vinteren når strålen er slått av og det blir drevet vedlikeholdsarbeid, hadde også fått se inn i detektoren. Her måtte vi nøye oss med plakater og fotografier.

Igjen ble vi slått av de enorme dimensjonene ved denne største maskinen i verden, og vi kunne ane hvilken enorm teknologisk innsats som også ligger til grunn for et
slikt laboratorium. Og ennå mer blir det med The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) som skal erstatte LEP i den samme tunnelen.

Samtaler og diskusjoner med kolleger

Noe av det fineste ved kurset var samtalene med alle kollegene fra hele Europa og fra USA. Det begynte allerede første dag, da vi alle presenterte oss og sa noen
ord om fysikkundervisningen i våre respektive skoler og land. Utvekslingen fortsatte dels formelt ved et par ettermiddagssesjoner, men først og fremst ved samtaler
rundt bordene i kafeteriaen - vårt samlingssted til lunsj og lange kveldssamtaler etter middag.

Det er slående hvor stor variasjon det er, både når det gjelder omfanget av fysikkundervisning på ulike alderstrinn og når det gjelder det pedagogiske opplegget. De
øst- og sydeuropeiske land var jevnt over mer teoretisk/matematisk orientert enn de nord-europeiske land og USA. Et annet slående trekk er at det i alle andre land
er mye mer variasjon fra landsdel til landsdel - og til og med fra skole til skole - enn her i landet. Den norske enhetsskolen er nok ganske unik. Dessverre synes det
å være ett fellestrekk: redusert rekruttering til fysikkfaget.

Prosjekter

Noen av ettermiddagsøktene ble brukt til ulike prosjekter i grupper. En gruppe som ble ledet av Sandor Ujvari fra Ungarn, samlet forslag til eksperimenter, særlig i
moderne fysikk. En annen gruppe diskuterte forslag til forbedringer av utstillingene i Microcosm. Selv deltok jeg i en gruppe som arbeidet med en liten bok om
partikkelfysikk. Gruppen ble ledet av tyskeren Detlef Kaack. Vi kom ikke stort lenger enn til en disposisjon, men noen av oss har ambisjoner om å fortsette
samarbeidet. Den gruppen som fikk utrettet mest konkret arbeid i sommer, var nok Web-site-gruppen ledet av Phil Hanley, England, og Jesse Southwick, USA. De
fikk satt opp en hjemmeside for kurset: http://teachers.cern.ch. På denne siden vil dere finne informasjon om deltakerne og mer informasjon om hva vi foretok oss.
 

Chcete vedet, co se stane, kdyz ceska ucitelka strci nos do spickove vedecke instituce ? Vite, co je CERN ? Tak zacneme pekne od zacatku.

Jsem ucitelka fyziky na Gymnaziu v Beroune. CERN je evropska laborator pro vyzkum atomoveho jadra a elementarnich castic hmoty nedaleko Zenevy. V prosinci lonskeho roku jsme si na skolu pozvali Dr.Dolejsiho z  Matematicko-fyzikalni fakulty Univerzity Karlovy, aby nam o fyzice a CERNu neco povedel v ramci cyklu prirodovednych prednasek, ktery nase skola jiz tradicne porada pro studenty gymnazia i pro ucitele zakladnich a strednich skol. Provokoval nas navrhem, ze nejlepsi by bylo, abychom se tam sami jeli podivat na skolni vylet. Pry je i jinak ve Svycarsku pekne. Uverili jsme mu a exkurzi v CERNu jsem na rijen pripravila. Buhvi, jak to dopadne, snad dobre. Ale jednoho unoroveho vecera se ozval znovu, zda nemam zajem zucastnit se konkurzu na tritydenni pobytovy program pro ucitele fyziky strednich skol, ktery CERN porada. Podminky pro moznou ucast znely jasne: schopnost komunikace v anglictine, schopnost prace s beznymi softwarovymi aplikacemi, napsat kratky esej o tom, co od programu ocekavam. V prvni euforii jsem se jednoznacne rozhodla, ze se konkurzu zucastnim. Ale musim priznat, ze kdyz jsem zacala psat svuj strucny zivotopis a formulovat sve myslenky, proc mam zajem se tohoto mezinarodniho programu zucastnit, hluboce jsem uvazovala nad tim, zda jsem se neprecenila. Co se mi muze stat jineho, nez ze mne neprijmou ?

A tak jsem stravila nekonecny vecer s anglickym slovnikem v ruce a s velkym hrnkem oblibeneho kapucina na stole snazic se vymyslet neco inteligentniho, a pritom alespon trochu originalniho. Na pripravu vsech materialu bylo jen par dnu, v uspech jsem prilis nedoufala. Presto jsem ale po dva mesice kazdy den ihned po prichodu domu nejdrive zkontrolovala nove e-maily. Co kdyby preci jen !? Koncem dubna jsem se dockala zpravy od Prof. Mangana z CERNu. A... vyslo to ! Ale i nyni byly moje pocity smisene a cervicek pochybnosti hlodal dale. Zvladnu to ? Neudelam ostudu lidem, kteri me doporucili ? Jak obstojim pri skoku z Berouna do Zenevy ?

A tak nastaly jine casy. Po prichodu domu ze skoly jsem nejen opravovala pisemky, pripravovala se na hodiny a prave probihajici maturity, ale hodiny casu jsem take venovala praci na pocitaci, snazila jsem se prokousat zakladnimi prikazy Unixu, vytvorit si vlastni WWW stranku, pripravit materialy, ktere predstavim v daleke cizine, ale i zajistit si dopravu, pojisteni a spoustu dalsich nezbytnych veci.

5. cervence nastal den D, kdy jsem sama nasedla do letadla, v Zeneve se s obrovskym lodakem dopravila k brane arealu CERNu, kde mezi vlajkami clenskych statu teto mezinarodni instituce vlaje i vlajka ceska, pohovorila pomoci rukou a nohou s jen francouzsky mluvici recepcni a s napetim jsem ocekavala prvni spolecne setkani v mistni kantyne. Seslo se 23 ucitelu fyziky z clenskych statu CERNu a z USA ve veku od 20 do 60 let. Ze zacatku prvni neformalni debaty to vypadalo, ze docela vsemu rozumim, ale po hodine me soustredeni silne ochabovalo, anglictina rodilych mluvci nabirala na obratkach a ja jsem se snazila zachytit alespon tema, o kterem tak zarputile diskutuji. A k tomu vsemu jsme preckali nekolik bouri a lijaku chraneni jen jakymsi jehlicnanem, ktery destove kapky propoustel ne mene, ale se zpozdenim. V tu chvili se mi honilo hlavou leccos, treba i myslenky, jsem-li ja zcela normalni a jsou-li zcela normalni ti okolo.

Na druhy den jsem se vyspala kupodivu do ruzova, prestoze mne cekal dalsi prubirsky kamen. Na spolecnem verejnem predstaveni vsech ucastniku mezinarodniho programu bylo treba sebrat veskerou svoji odvahu a sebevedomi, predstoupit pred zpetny projektor s materialy, kterymi chci predstavit sebe, svou praci, skolu i republiku. Dovedete si jiste predstavit, ze ve mne byla mala dusicka, ale prekonala jsem to. A tak vse dobre dopadlo a ja jsem zas o kousek dal. Vim, ze neni treba se desit, ale prepravit.

Behem nasledujicich tri tydnu, kdy jsme spolecne travili veskery cas, jsem zjistila, ze vsude na svete jsou lide vlastne stejni, kazdy ma sve radosti i problemy. Nekdo toho vi spoustu, ale neumi se prosadit, druhy zas naopak. Jeden ma rad auta, druhy cirkus a treti treba ceske pivo. Spolecne jsme probrali spoustu temat, ktera by jedineho cloveka ani nenapadla od platu ucitelu, osnov a vybaveni skol, pres politickou situaci a rodinne zazemi az k neotrelym pribehum a zazitkum. Oficialnim jazykem byla sice anglictina, ale vytvorili jsme spise novodoby jazykovy Babylon, v nemz se neztrati francouzstina, nemcina, italstina, ale ani cestina ci rustina.

Nebudu vam podrobne licit vsechny dalsi dny. Cely program se skladal z dopolednich prednasek z casticove a jaderne fyziky, odpoledne a vecer exkurze ci fyzikalni mereni, predstaveni ruznych projektu pro skoly i verejnost a z nekonecne, ale krasne tymove prace na priprave WWW stranek. Jak se nam to povedlo se muzete sami presvedcit na Internetove adrese: http://teachers.cern.ch. Vlastne jsme pokracovali v tradici, nebot WWW se zrodil prave v CERNu. A kdyz uz budete brouzdat po WWW strankach CERNu (http://www.cern.ch) , urcite zde objevite i spoustu zajimavosti od her a jednoduchych lakadel, pres rozsahlou kolekci fotografii, animovanych videosekvenci az po podrobnosti z konstrukce a cinnosti celeho projektu.

Obcas, ale ne vzdy, zbyl behem dne i cas na obed, ktery je bezne snit s vasim lektorem z dopoledni prenasky, ktery uci v USA ci Anglii. Kdyz vam to nekdo rekne, poznate, ze u vedlejsiho stolu sedi napriklad nositel Nobelovy ceny. A protoze ani o vikendu nikdo nechtel byt sam, podnikli jsme vylety do nedaleke Jury i vzdalenejsich Alp, abychom si protahli sva ztuhla tela. Predstavte si napriklad mensi stihlou Francouzku (tak 150 cm, 42 kg ), ktera nese na kopec s prevysenim 1200 m obrovsky batoh. Jake bylo nase prekvapeni, kdyz z nej na vrcholu vyndala vse potrebne i nepotrebne na piknik pro 12 lidi, vcetne ubrusu, priboru, sklenicek, piti alkoholickeho i nealkoholickeho, tepleho obeda v termosce a k tomu jeste syry, chleba, orisky i cokoladu. Nehovori to samo za sebe? Verte, ze pak pro mne nebyl nejmensi problem mluvit temer 3 hodiny s Nemcem, kdyz jsme zustali diky nenadale bource v horach, a tak jsme si nakonec i vypraveli vtipy. Neverila bych, ze to se svou anglictinou dokazu.

Ale musim priznat, ze vse behem pobytu nebylo bez problemu a uskali. Tyden jsem stravila za pomerne znacne bolesti zubu premyslejic, zda preci jen budu muset navstivit mistniho zubare nebo zda se ìvzmuzimî a vydrzim. Jednou nad ranem jsem se hadala s ìinteligentniî kopirkou v mistni non-stop otevrene knihovne. Nejdriv se mnou nechtela vubec komunikovat. Kdyz se rozhodla, ze tedy snad ano a zacneme, nedarilo se mi ji presvedcit, aby delala to, co chci ja. Sice na mne stale vyzyvave mrkala za doprovodu podivnych znaku a zvuku, ale kopie nekterych kapitol knihy P.C.W.Dawies ìThe force of natureî podle mych predstav z ni nelezly. Ale verte ci ne, vavriny jsem si nakonec odnesla JA.

Mam pro vas take jeden bezvadny tip na zbytek prazdnin ci kdykoli jindy, az pojedete treba na dovolenou k mori pres Zenevu. Vrele doporucuji navstivit v CERNu verejne pristupnou vystavu Microcosmos, ktera vam pristupnym a atraktivnim zpusobem pomuze proniknout do taju hmoty i vzniku Vesmiru. Pro vetsi skupiny ci skolni zajezdy je mozno si pomoci jednoducheho formulare snadno dostupneho na Internetu objednat i dukladnejsi exkurzi, napriklad ke kruhovemu urychlovaci LEP, ktery je v hloubce 100 m pod zemi a v obvodu meri temer 27 km. Zcela jiste pak pozmenite svuj nazor na fyziku a fyziky, overite si, ze 0,38 % z CERNskeho rozpoctu, ktere prispiva nase republika, rozhodne nejsou vyhozene penize. Vzdyt nam to pomuze i jinak!

Konstrukce noveho zarizeni pro CERN, to je vlastne takova obrovska skladanka. Jednotlive casti a materialy jsou pripravovany v ruznych clenskych i neclenskych zemich, mezi nimiz jsme se neztratili ani my. A tim nemyslim jen Ceskou republiku, ale konkretne berounsko. Ve vyberovem rizeni na vyrobu valcovanych plechu pro cast noveho detektoru ATLAS totiz byly nejuspesnejsi prave Kralodvorske zelezarny, ktere nabidly nejen nejnizsi cenu, ale hlavne v pozadovane vysoke kvalite odpovidajici prisnemu mezinarodnimu meritku. Treba na tom nas prumysl neni zas tak spatne!

Jestlize mate chut se dozvedet vice, ale stale se jeste ostychate, nevadi. Prijdte v ramci naseho cyklu prednasek nebo kdykoli jindy do Gymnazia Beroun, urcite neco spolecne vymyslime. Pokud jste jiz propadli kouzlu elektronicke posty, vyuzijte i tuto moznost. Adresa berounskeho gymnazia je gb@iol.cz.

A co mi tento pobyt dal a vzal ? Rozbila jsem si hodinky, fotak a svuj konvecni zpusob mysleni. Myslim, tedy spis doufam, ze jsem konecne pochopila, ze nelze cekat, ze mi nekdo stale bude rikat, co mam delat, co pripravit, co uskutecnit. Kdyz prijde napad, nezbyva nic jineho nez ho realizovat a pak se uvidi, jestli se ostatni pridaji ci ho oceni. Nasla jsem bezvadne lidi, pratele z celeho sveta, novy naboj do dalsi prace i zivota, ale hlavne jsem si na vlastni kuzi overila, ze nic neni nemozne!
 

Contact: Hanley@southbridge.demon.co.uk

Last modified: 26.11.99