Abstract:

International Masterclasses (IMC) is an annual outreach programme in particle physics organized by the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG) in collaboration with universities and research centres around the globe. IMC offer high school students an authentic and unique one-day experience with the life of the particle physicist in the lecture halls and laboratories of a local research institution. From morning lectures, to afternoon hands-on measurements on real data from large experiments, the students have opportunity to listen to scientists, ask them questions and seek their help in solving problems during the data analysis. At the end of the day, four or five universities from different countries join the video-conference – a platform for students to discuss their results at the international level.

Masterclasses have their origin in the UK from where they spread to continental Europe in 2005 and have been expanding ever since. The annual participation has reached 13 000 high school students in about 60 countries. During the last years there has been a significant broadening also in the physics scope of IMC. The traditional portfolio of measurements based on the data from the four experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Geneva, now includes also measurements based on data from neutrino experiments in the USA and Belle II data from Japan. In addition to these fundamental physics masterclasses, a particle therapy masterclass has been developed in Germany, to illustrate some of the benefits for society from the particle physics research. We will describe all these developments along with our efforts to deal with the challenges and opportunities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and our commitment to reach out to girls. We believe the IMC programme helps to inspire a new generation of researchers and instills a better understanding of the scientific method and importance of evidence-based decision making in the young generation.

Keywords:

International masterclasses in particle physics, informal science education, hands-on experience with experimental data, outreach for high schools.