The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip has travelled the length and breadth of Australia in its mission to inspire students and communities and share the excitement of science.
As part of National Science Week, quantum and dark matter scientists from across Australia have been visiting regional and remote areas, and holding satellite events across the country.
The event was organised by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, with the support of a National Science Week grant.
This year’s road trip travelled from Karratha to Perth in Western Australia, and from Adelaide to Sydney, visiting schools and communities along the way.
Over the four years since the first event was held in 2022, road tripping quantum and dark matter scientists have crossed the Nullarbor, visited tiny schools in the Northern Territory and held events in Tasmania.
Road trip organiser and physicist Dr Ben McAllister, from the CDM, EQUS and Swinburne University of Technology, says the annual road trip provides a rare opportunity for students and communities to meet quantum and dark matter scientists and learn about the exciting research they are doing across Australia.
“This event really takes cutting edge into regional and remote Australia and we hope it plays a role in inspiring young people,” he says.
“We’re proud to have completed a lap of Australia and we’ve visited some incredible students and met so many engaged, enthusiastic students and teachers.
“In coming years, we hope to revisit some of the places that we have been to in previous years’ road trips to reinforce the road trip’s message that science is for everyone.
During the road trip, 16 scientists from the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Macquarie University, the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle presented talks and demonstrations at schools across Australia.
This year’s event visited more than 25 regional and remote schools, with public community events in Karratha, Melbourne, Kalgoorlie, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Port Hedland, Broken Hill, Brisbane and Alice Springs.
Macquarie University and EQUS Research Fellow Dr Kerstin Beer said students were often surprised that quantum science was already playing a role in their lives.
“Concepts like quantum science can seem very complex to students, and in a way they are, but by explaining how this technology is already present in their lives, like in barcode readers in the supermarket, or smartphones, it really brings this science to life.”
