On 17 June, scientists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research will give lectures on physics in the Educational Centre “Sirius”.

In the Year of Science and Technology, JINR scientists will tell the students of the Educational Centre “Sirius” about their work. Direct contact with successful representatives of the scientific community is a way to spark children’s interest in the profession of a scientist.

Scientific Leader of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions JINR RAS Academician Yuri Oganessian will speak about the discovery of the island of stability of superheavy elements with atomic numbers 112-118, the last of which – oganesson – is named after him. The lecture starts at 4:30 PM.

Superheavy elements

The discovery of radioactivity and then nuclear reactions provided humanity with a tool to recreate a much more complete picture of the nuclear and atomic world than we observe around us. The lecture is dedicated to one of the topical issues of modern physics, nuclear chemistry, and astrophysics related to the existence of hypothetical superheavy elements. Experimental studies of the last 20 years that continue nowadays have led to the discovery of a so-called “stability island” of superheavy elements with atomic numbers from 112 to 118 with relatively high stability to various radioactive decays. The fact of the existence of superheavy elements itself, their atomic and nuclear properties considerably push forward previously existing limits of nuclei and chemical elements.

JINR Director RAS Academician Grigory Trubnikov will acquaint school children with a search for answers to big challenges by creating large-scale research facilities, such as the NICA collider, which is being constructed in the science city of Dubna by the efforts of the international scientific collaboration. The lecture will start at 5:50 PM.

Global research initiatives: mega-science projects in Russia and abroad

Humanity has been facing big challenges, complicated and sometimes unexpected: natural disasters, depletion of resources, energy deficit, food shortages, spread of infections, and many others.
Many countries unite efforts and construct large-scale scientific facilities: telescopes and colliders, thermonuclear reactors and superpowerful lasers, supercomputers and superpowerful networks, mega-laboratories for the study of the human genome and the brain.
However, it is necessary to understand basic issues first to advance in mastering and taming advanced technologies: how does the Universe work, what is the nature of the matter we are made of, what is in store for us in terms of the environmental evolution, how is the global climate formed and how is the Earth arranged, how does all this influence our health and life?
Schoolstudents will learn about the origins and development of large-scale research facilities and initiatives, what is being created in Russia and what we can be proud of, the focus of the scientific world. They will also learn why particularly international science is one of the keys to preserve peace on Earth.

The lectures will be also broadcast on JINR pages on VKontakte and Facebook.

The lectures by JINR Director Academician Grigory Trubnikov and Scientific Leader of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions JINR Academician Yuri Oganessian in the Educational Centre “Sirius” will start long-term cooperation between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Educational Foundation “Talent and Success”.

Moreover, on 18 June, at 11:30 AM, a meeting of Yuri Tsolakovich Oganessian with students of the Educational Centre “Sirius” will take place. Schoolchildren of “Sirius” will have an opportunity to ask their questions to the outstanding scientist in an informal setting.