Category: News

In the news: Kids get a taste of one of universe’s biggest mysteries

Posted on by kharley

—by Australian Associated Press

A team of scientists is travelling through Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, hoping to inspire the next generation of physicists in remote areas.

The scientists have been visiting schools and communities and hosting science pub trivia quizzes across Queensland during the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip.

Talking to students about dark matter, which Swinburne University of Technology physicist Ben McAllister told AAP is one of the biggest mysteries of the universe, and quantum physics, which is integral for solving this mystery, is meant not just to teach but to inspire.

“The main goal is not to be teaching them science content, although that’s nice if you can do that,” he said.

“The main goal is about inspiring the next generation of scientists and letting them know there is really awesome, cutting edge research in these fields going on in Australia.”

The scientists began their road trip in Brisbane on 4 August, ahead of National Science Week this week, and will end in Broome, WA, after crossing Queensland and the NT, on 19 August.

The road trip has been held each year since 2021 and this year Dr McAllister said the focus is on regional and remote communities who don’t usually have the opportunity to meet scientists face to face.

“If you don’t hear that message, if you don’t receive that message, then you would never know that it’s possible for you,” he said.

Bulla Camp School at Baines, a community in the Northern Territory, more than 400 kilometres south of Darwin near the WA border, is one such school.

There are just 11 primary students and principal Debbie Bailey said they’re always excited to have visitors at the school, although being so remote it’s not something that happens very often.

“We’re a long way from anything and we don’t have hotels and motels on our doorstep,” she said.

“Being willing to travel the distance and involve the students at the school, even if it’s only one student that it sparks interest in, it’s well worth it.”

Ms Bailey said the students they love learning about science, especially when they get to do hands-on experiments.

“Anything to do with making slime or mixing things together or having them change colour, the kids love it,” she said.

“Being able to physically touch and feel and see and even taste and smell different things and being able to explain how that happened.”

Media release: Quantum & dark matter scientists to visit outback Australia

Posted on by kharley

The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip will visit regional and remote communities across Australia’s north this August.

The road trip – held annually since 2021 – will begin in Brisbane on 4 August and travel through the Northern Territory before finishing in Broome on 19 August.

Quantum and dark matter scientists will visit schools and host community events, such as pub trivia and demo days, with pop-up events also planned for capital cities and regional towns across Australia.

The Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) are organising the event to coincide with National Science Week 2024.

The road trip aims to introduce quantum technology and particle physics to Australians, inspire a future generation of scientists and engineers, and highlight the potential of quantum technologies and dark matter discovery for the benefit of our society.

During the road trip, 13 scientists will present talks and demonstrations at schools across Australia’s north.

The cities and towns the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip will visit include:

Brisbane QLD
Toowoomba QLD
Kingaroy QLD
Dalby QLD
Wandoan QLD
Capella QLD
Clermont QLD
Longreach QLD
Cloncurry QLD
Yulara NT
Imanpa NT
Alice Springs NT
Engawala NT
Mount Zeil NT
Tennant Creek NT
Mataranka NT
Katherine NT
Bulla NT
Kununurra WA
Broome WA
Perth WA
Sydney NSW
Ballarat VIC
Dandenong VIC
Melbourne VIC

 

Road trip organiser and physicist Dr Ben McAllister, from CDM, EQUS and Swinburne Institute of Technology, said this year’s route focused on regional and remote areas in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

“It is important to share the excitement of quantum and dark matter science with students and communities that might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet scientists face-to-face and learn about the cutting-edge science happening in Australia,” Dr McAllister said.

“We’re excited to be reaching more remote communities than previous road trips, both in number and the level of remoteness. This year’s trip will visit the Northern Territory for the first time – we’re especially grateful to be visiting Aboriginal communities and community-run schools and spaces for the first time.

Macquarie University and EQUS Research Fellow Dr Kerstin Beer was involved in last year’s event and is looking forward to taking part again this year.

“It was wonderful to meet students, especially girls, from communities across Australia and talk science. Inspiring women to get into physics or to think about a career in quantum is something close to my heart. It also sends the message that scientists can and should come from all backgrounds – we don’t all look and sound the same!”

“Science is all about creativity and discovery and that’s our message when we’re visiting students in regional and remote areas who might not usually get the chance to chat to scientists working in quantum and dark matter research.”

2023 road trip highlights

Posted on by kharley

The 2023 National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip saw 24 members of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Systems (EQUS) and/or the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) drive around regional and remote Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland over National Science Week, 7–25 August 2023. The team spoke to students from 18 schools and delivered 12 public events during the trip, engaging members of the public at schools, pubs and community hubs in all things quantum and dark matter.

Check out some highlights (thanks to Kerstin Beer for putting the video together!):

National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip a raging success

Posted on by kharley

The 2023 National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip has once more been deemed a huge success, visiting 18 schools and delivering 12 public events across Australia.

During the road trip, which was part of National Science Week, members of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and/or the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) visited regional and remote Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Pop-up events, including public talks, pub trivia, demonstrations and a workshop, were also held across the country as part of the road trip.

By the end of the event, road-trippers had reached more than 1,600 people at schools, universities, pubs and community hubs across the country.

Feedback from students, teachers, public-event attendees and road-trippers was overwhelmingly positive.

Road-trippers also enjoyed the opportunity to inspire a new generation of scientists living in regional and remote parts of Australia.

Highlights of the event included a Town Hall with MP Dr Monique Ryan, a science–art workshop in Albury, public lectures in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, pub trivia in Mallacoota, Wangaratta (in partnership with DTAC Wangaratta), Melbourne and Perth, and a demo day in Sydney.

The school visits were well-received by students and teachers, with 81% of students reporting they learnt something new from the session, 65% saying they would recommend the experience to others, and 69% feeling that the session was a good way to learn about physics.

The response to public events was also positive, with participants describing the pub trivia and public talks as “amazing”, “engaging” and “interesting”.

Road-trip organiser and participant Dr Ben McAllister of Swinburne University of Technology and The University of Western Australia said this year’s road trip was a rewarding experience.

“I continue to be pleasantly amazed by the questions students have.  By far my favourite question of the trip was, ‘Where does wind come from?’  It was clearly something the student had been thinking about for a while but needed the opportunity of having eight scientists in the room to satisfy his curiosity.”

Road-tripper Victoria Bashu, from The Australian National University, said she appreciated the opportunity to meet students and share her experience.

“The trip was full of highlights.  One of them was a student coming up to me and asking what path I took to be a scientist.  A few years back, I was a high-school student and today I, alongside the full team, am inspiring these young minds.  That was very special.”

Dr Kerstin Beer of Macquarie University agreed that the road trip was a great opportunity to inspire women to pursue a career in physics.

“I had some good conversations with girls of different ages about their career dreams.  This was really fulfilling.  I also loved the fundamental questions about quantum mechanics: I am a theoretical physicist and it was super interesting for me to see how my experimental colleagues answer similar questions and use other ways or settings to explain the same concepts.”

This year’s road trip was funded by EQUS, CDM, a National Science Week Grant awarded to EQUS and CDM, and DTAC Wangaratta.

Thank you to all the road-trippers, communities and schools who participated in the event for your enthusiasm and passion for sharing the excitement of science.

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