On 31 January, the Educational Centre “Sirius” and JINR completed the first joint cycle “Lessons of real nuclear physics” of the project “Lessons of the present” . Participants of the project had to assemble a charged particle detector module, i.e. the Wilson chamber. Using this module, they were supposed to independently identify and record particle tracks in the chamber.

Within the framework of the project, 90 teams were organized on the basis of schools throughout Russia. Each team consisted of from 5 to 15 school students from 7-11 grades. Before completing the task, participants listened to an introductory lecture on particle physics by a VBLHEP JINR senior researcher Sergei Merts. In the lecture “Time Machine in the Universe”, the scientist spoke about modern scientific facilities, the NICA superconducting accelerator complex and its tasks on studying the processes that happened in the Universe 13 billion years ago, detection methods of various types of physical particles, and the creation of the own detector. A VBLHEP JINR senior engineer Dmitry Klimansky provided instruction on the chamber assembly.

During the whole month, school students were conducting intensive work on data collection, studying video lectures and workshops on the topical project, communicating with JINR scientists. The result of this joint work was video reports of successful experiments that JINR employees are assessing at the moment. The work on the project was carried out with great enthusiasm. The chamber assembly and the result observation made a strong impression on both students and their tutors as they noted.

The project “Lessons of the present” has begun in September and will last until May. During this school year, students will pass eight educational cycles. Last academic year, fifteen hundred school students from 45 regions and 132 schools took part in the project “Lessons of the present”.

The results of the fifth cycle “Lessons of real nuclear physics” and winners will be announced on 10 February.

More information on VK group.