The Institute of Nuclear and Particle physics has been promoting science to the public with several outreach activities such as:
Cadet Researchers
In 2016 a new annual educational activity “Cadet Researchers” was initiated. It targets talented lyceum students who are invited to spend a full week in INPP, performing experiments in the laboratories of INPP under the supervision of INPP researchers. Each year, 6-8 students are selected, through a physics competition in April. In 2016, the first year of this activity, 5 schools participated with about 60 students. In the second year, 2017, after obtaining the support of the Ministry of Education, 19 schools participated with more than 110 students.
Summer School
The Demokritos summer school is taking place for several decades. It has started as an advanced nuclear/high energy physics school where many students have attended for the first time quantum mechanics lectures in Greece.
Nowadays, the summer school is taking place usually in the beginning of July and lasts 5 days, each day dedicated to research topics of one of the five different Demokritos institutes.
The Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics presents topics related to experimental/theoretical high energy physics experimental/theoretical nuclear physics and experimental astroparticle physics. Have a look at an interesting talk presented by Stefanos Trahanas in the 58th summer school. More talks from the summer school can be found here.
Physics Masterclass
The international particle physics masterclasses are workshops organized by the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG). The Masterclasses take place in more than fifty countries all over the world.
During the day, high school students have the opportunity to work together with researchers in high energy physics and analyze particle physics data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Initially, the students attend presentations for particle physics theory, accelerators, detectors and cosmology. Then, in the second part of the masterclass, the students are trained to analyze events from CMS experiment and “discover” by themselves the Higgs Boson. Finally, a teleconference takes place with other high schools around the world participating in the masterclass at the same day. During the conference, the students present and discuss their results and familiarize themselves with the international/multicultural tradition of research in fundamental physics.
Researchers Night
INPP researchers have been involved in the “Researchers night” activities, traditionally held at the end of September each year.
The purpose of the project is to convey to the general public the key ideas that research is a necessary ingredient for progress, the researchers are an integral part of the community and their profession is both fun, challenging, interesting and worth pursuing.
Open Days
INPP researchers are involved in developing and delivering popularized science lectures to public or school audiences. Also presentations and lectures and guiding tours are being given to schools visiting Demokritos and its facilities (among them INPP and the Tandem accelerator) with a few hundred visitors each year.