Abstract:

As part of the 'Ambasciatrici di Scienza' (Science Ambassadors) project at the University of Milano-Bicocca—where young female STEM scientists support schools through outreach and guidance—an activity was designed to highlight the role of applied physics in cultural heritage, specifically through neutron investigations.

The proposed activity aims to help students interactively understand the advanced concept of tomography and its invaluable role in the non-invasive study of ancient archaeological artifacts. Through a hands-on demonstration, students will simulate the work of scientists and archaeologists by exploring neutrons as a probe for investigating matter, complemented by moments of shared reflection and discussion.

The project has been tailored for both primary and lower secondary schools, with age-appropriate approaches: whole-class involvement for primary pupils and small-group work for middle school students. Special focus was placed on designing interactive and accessible educational materials, particularly for introducing the concepts of particles (neutrons), tomography, and the non-destructive analysis of cultural assets.

The final phase features real video footage obtained during measurement campaigns on cultural heritage artifacts. These videos aim to showcase the authentic environments of large-scale laboratory facilities and the preparatory stages required to investigate a real archaeological find using a neutron source. The footage is introduced with accessible language and simplified explanations of the images and processes shown. During the viewing, students are encouraged to ask questions and propose hypotheses about what they are observing, stimulating critical thinking and an understanding of the researcher's role.

This concluding stage serves to directly link the classroom laboratory experience with the concrete reality of scientific research. Ultimately, the design of this activity and the testing of these educational tools have allowed for the integration of theoretical concepts and practical instruments. The demonstration setup developed will be used in the future to test these activities in schools, with the goal of promoting both cultural heritage and the research conducted by women scientists in this field.

Keywords:

STEM, Cultural Heritage, Neutron analyses.