See? Good. So
yes indeed. I'm going to
talk today about the interplay between science and art. And what Michael Hall,
who is he also panelists and I need to get the build up in a small rural place in the
mountainous regions in Switzerland. The blog status is very old photograph it
shows Victor has at the balloons light. And I think all of you know from your
teaching classes or from university classes that Victor has been awarded the
Nobel Prize for the discovery of cotton race, which he managed to do in balloon
flights. If you also look about the logos at the bottom, you see there has been
quite some activity, quite some involvement. There was this rich society.
I'm president It was the Swiss Institute of particle physics, which is all the
Swiss profit physics Institute's in particular University of Bern and
University of freeboard because I have appointment with both of these. And also a
high altitude Research Station, which is a place where cosmic rays have been studied
under still being research going on up there. philosopher here the origin logo is
a network from around Michael Hall talking about all the physics that is needed in
order to understand the origin of the universe. So this is basically also an
umbrella around here. If you think about the shadow date, this is how it looks
like. It's really a very small village, mountainous region and you all know very
Geneva very CERN, you have Lake Geneva and chapter D. See you Quite remote. It's
about a two hours drive from Geneva to get there. And when you go there, that's what
you find. So why do you want to do particle physics up there? What is
specific up there? Well, specific up there is the international hot air balloon
Festival, which is going on yearly since 1979. It's always in winter, and all the
aeronauts all the loonies, to go there and for one week to have fun, let them slide
together after a special week. You may have heard about share today in the
context of the Breitling orbiter. This is the balloon that 20 years ago in 1999,
departed to a flight around the globe nonstop. And this was the first time I was
the only one this is this worked out and place of departure was indeed Chateau de
again. This was mostly his religion. The capsule, the pilots for living in is not
very comfortable. It's more like a space capsule. But that's how they survived.
Because this is just to put a chat today in context. Because of this Breitling
orbiter because it's famous for balloonist shutter day has a balloon museum. And this
balloon museum here you have some impression. It's a small little house
here. And if you go in there you see balloon equipment and you see instruments
that are being used in balloon flights. Nothing to do with particle physics, and
not a single visitor who goes to expect to learn anything about particles. Not even
the director of the museum had any idea about the scientific background of
balloons. However, and a thesis that arts now becomes a big player. If you're
running a museum like this one in a remote place, you have to attract people
Visitors. So the curator, the director of the museum is always adding temporary
exhibitions. So that is some some, it's a bit of changing and a bit of lively and
people will go there not just once, but when there is a new temporary exhibition,
they will go a second or a third time. Michael, whom most of you will know here
from the origin network are also known for artists EMF, he had his artwork in
exhibition in relay and the curator of the museum, the director, she saw Michael's
exhibition rubric and thought that's a good addition to make a temporary
something in in the balloon museum. And that's how initial context started. But
it's, it's a pure coincidence. And, of course, then Michael had the idea to have
to present his artwork and today, he contacted me and for us as particle
physicists obvious We have to add the science part of it. And cosmic rays is the
obvious link.
We could get the science director interested in this concept and the
merchandise we could get started. Everybody knows Victor has this is the
photo again. And this is Victor Hayes in balloon flight in 1912 when he got a Nobel
Prize in 36. But if you look about the balloonist what they did is this Victor
has in 9012 range, something like 5000 something meters. It was another guy in
1914 call her so he reached up way above 9000. This was quite adventurous at that
period to think about the oxygen, but he is a person of that Coco 1909. And this is
data that he measures his dark blue dots here, clearly also closed off slightly.
This is data from 1909 and nobody remembers Coco, the reason he died in 27
before the no practice given so he could no longer be considered but basically he
was the first to thought there is something coming up. Those of you who are
interested want to know more know more about Coco. He was German born in, but
keeping a professor in Freiburg in three boys Switzerland is a road named after
him. So it's locally famous but internationally completely forgotten. But
his story is written up in a paper as you have here, the link and everything so you
can get the details. And basically, it is all about coke who coined the term cosmic
radiation goes back to him. And it was he was the first who said something is coming
from above. But evil he could not conclude to the end he wanted to go higher, but
could not get the means you could not get a support to go hire two people Because he
could not get the resources that Victor has could take over and is then today
known for what is three, three. But for us to set up the exhibition, it gave us a
good storyline a good narrative. Because Coco as he was professor in three boards,
which claims he is a local hero for that exhibition, and they can put up a
narrative. He also had more narratives to put up because if you think about the
mountain tops and he is a research lab on top of this mountain tops in the research
lab on the infra yo three and a half thousand meters, so it's more about cosmic
rays to talk about. In addition, as I'm also Professor newly freeboard at three,
some legacy, ancient legacy from outer Goku, and they found that an original 100
year old electro method that they used to measure all kinds of ionization of air
This gave us quite some material to do something. And indeed, we, Michael and I,
we could put up a huge poster in three languages German, English and French, a
lot of text. Putting up the pioneers of cosmic rays together without the Goku as
the local hero is Victor haces Nobel Prize winner and we've called who's to have kind
of a height record. And also another artwork is the poster that invites people
to go to this exhibition. And as you already can see, this thing called a
prolongation because of success. what it also does, it shows not only the old
aspects of 100 years ago, it shows the ISS if the ANS experiment it shows weather
balloons it shows it shows underground cosmic ray detectors like super common
candy or do g etc etc. So Putting the old research and modern research in context.
Remember, people go into this museum to learn about balloons. And not to learn
that balloons have been important for science cause grace. So because rates need
to stop people, take them fascinate agents. And this is impressions from
inside you see the balloon. But you see here the artwork you see posterization. So
those who are not fully engaged in science, they still like the art and the
four whole family will feel good when they go in. Because those who are interested in
the physics will be pleased those who are interested in the science will be pleased
that they have something to exchange and talk together. It's a concept that seems
to be successful. A few more years, the big poster, hanging optics. over to this
is two and a half meters wide. Just to give you a context.
could show original items from Goku electrometer. Here it is our letters that
Coco tried to get gas hydrogen gas to fly higher which he couldn't get decent
results immortal blades from the moon for your research station. Okay details but a
lot more posters with details. Again, both Mater cosmic rays. And what were the
discoveries made in cosmic rays into context with Aurora Borealis. Lots of
text. You could be afraid of putting text into poster, but it's three languages
German, English, French, everything discoveries made and how you detect all
these particles. And people caught stetic get interested in it because they see
balloons. They see all history. They see our aura Borealis to get interesting and
entropy interacts further activity That further so that we can bring the audience
and lift the narrative to something particular. Because we can make our own
cosmic rays. ie we can accelerate particles and study them in laboratory
conditions. That's what we do. At the LSE. They bring up the LFC detectors. This is
for Switzerland, Switzerland is not in Alice. So you only see Atlassian
messenger, especially because of the Swiss context. But not because you don't like
this but in order to keep the narrative to the local scope. And out of this, we can
talk about the Nah, no understand another's build up, because you have been
studying cosmic rays because they have been colliding these particles because
you've learned something. And out of this, they can understand what is Big Bang
cosmology, and how the universe came, evolved directly after the Big Bang. And
here I am there to show the Standard Model alliteration. could think too much takes
too complicated, but the effect was, people liked it. Maybe they liked it
because of the art. But this is not just a story that the curator cases because
people, they, they started to spend time in this museum. The typical time a person
stayed in the museum significantly increased. They wanted to read, they got
fascinated. And they almost doubled the number of visitors that went into this
museum. The flux increased. So this all it got coverage and local news and old days
triggered. This has to be proven gated, rather than a temporary exhibition for a
few months. It became a temporary exhibition that was there almost for two
years being planned. It has more effects. There is also the balloon festival, not
just deep museum directors, the organizer of the balloon festival. Of course, they
know the people from the museum, but they are different. But the director, director
of the balloon festival got fixed up. And he thought, this is something to have to
bring in. And he thought, the particle physics so this experience must become a
major element, the lead element in the this year's hot air balloon festival in
February 2020, January 2020, a few months back, the director of this balloon
festival, and he came up with his idea to his local Organizing Committee. He had
initially quite some resistance because they thought this doesn't work. People
want to do balloon flights and not know about science. In a way he managed to
convince everybody and we could run our show and we had a full week before this
balloon festival, this historic balloons like that we flew up to 4000 meters with
cosmic ray detectors. So I could, he could bring in Thank you, Sasha, I could bring
in the universe of female students in it. We have workshops and children day in,
etc, etc. So all this could keep science and the particles because of race active
over a full week during the festival. What you see here, these are my students from
pre war and this is the cosmic ray detector that they put up hooked up. I
don't want to go into detail how it is going on, but my students have to work to
the geometric calculations. So they got out of this outreach activity. They got
some real work to do. They had fun. They were hooking up the
new telescope at the balloon basket. This is a photograph which Michael Hawk and I
might Students, in fact a balloon is being put up. And indeed they're flying up and
higher. up to 4000 meters see me you see the famous balloon pilot he won an
internet international prizes to two of my students. This is a photo out to 4000
meters, where we now have tilted the mute telescope by 45 degrees measuring two
angles coming up and indeed, as a function of altitude, it costs a great increase so
we could prove again in balloon flights Yes, science and physics works at present
that at the festival in a public talk, you see me here talking to the to the audience
directly after landing now later, huge talk with quite an attentive audience who
were captivated because the topic was there they could invite the kids to play
with cloud chambers is the staff putting up with you You can see here it is. It's
all in shock today at the balloon festival so all the balloonist could see something
that did not expect before. This trick, it's local TV, this triggered newspapers.
And it also triggered an article in CERN Korea so we could get quite some some
impact on that. And to conclusion on that
particle physics works at remote places.
A museum that initially had nothing to do with signs or particles, or accelerators
or CERN, the universe etc. They've thought about the temporary exhibition, and
initially only art Microsoft was an attractor. But the narrative if a local
relevance, allowed to bring the visitor who just expected balloons to get driven
into particle physics and into the modern understanding of how the universe works in
a easy to follow story, starting with balloon flights in 1909 If you add works
of art that relate the science that is being shown, then you are adding another
level of how the visitor being involved engaged emotionally into the subject. So
this is opening up getting them in to visit a stem cells overtaken unexpectedly.
And we're typically quite fascinated at the museum attracted many more visitors
than in other years. The museum planned to prolong the exhibition on March 21.
However, because of Corona, this prolongation is now coming to an end. But
this is no artist this bad luck. Because of all this, they get invited into the
festival slow have huge impact there. And indeed, what I can say here, particle
physics works in rural places, geographically detached, but no Engage
enacting fascination is a huge audience. And this is all I wanted to say here.
Thanks a lot.
All right. Thanks, Peter. Any questions?
From audio attendees?
I see a question from a
panelist.
Okay, then we take that first. You can speak up as you like. Oh, duh, sorry.
I'm Speedo when you have to when you will dismantle the exhibition at this place is
are there any plans to bring this elsewhere?
We have, we're open to having to notice in other areas as well because the exhibition
now because of Kuru. Not everything is shut down the museum had to close could
not accept any visitors anymore. Now it can accept visitors but under stranger
regulations and distancing, etc. So the museum decided they want to use this extra
time to do some refurbishment, internally. They are advancing other projects. So for
that reason, all the exhibition items are now freed up and can be reused. But we
have to find a new place to bring it up. And usually it's not so easy to bring it
to, to convince another museum to put up an exhibition, but we do have plans in
Perth in Switzerland, that we can rebuild for us what they have, but it may not be
immediate.
Okay, because that would be great. I think it's a really good approach also to the
people who are not that much interested in science usually, were more fond of
entertainment and then they Get collided with these signs. That's
a very important remark with all these activities, you're very successful if you
get the people in their places they go. If you if you do a science exhibition in
science museum or at a university open day, we only get those people who are
really interested in the topic. In this framework here, we managed to get the new
people who advice most likely would never have put the foot inside the university or
inside the Science Museum because it's it's not in the scope of what they
typically do. And generalizing I'm sure there are many it's a fraction who do it
anyhow, but it for a large fraction, I guess they would never go to science
museum but he they got into got fascinated and
all right. Everybody
I can see an electronic hands. I'm just just a short comment that I mean the size
and stuff looks like it would fit well in the Duchy museum and bond. So if you're
interested, I could try to, you know, link you up at least to see if they're
interested in they can talk to you.
Oh, definitely. Definitely.
All right. Any other questions for Hans pizza. Otherwise, we can also allow for
follow up questions if there are for any of the other speakers
that we had before.
So, yes.
Let's meet again. I have a question for Beth.
So on the histogram, I saw that in chemistry, there were more than 50% women
or girls actually these are still school people.
Any idea or comments on
what's happening there?
Yeah.
Yeah, I, I have a, what the data say there is actually chemistry used to be. In our
country as imbalanced as physics. What happened is that the government made it a
requirement for medicine that you have to study chemistry and practically overnight,
number of girls went up. So sometimes the pressure from elsewhere has a kind of
unintended consequence, I guess. And
there's your leverage point.
You should know some physics to write.
That would be one question I have at which level the way they sort of enforced to
have chemistry so they have to have it in high school to start a medicine. Exactly.
So you have to do 16 your A Levels and which is what we do. 16 to 18 before going
on to
undergraduate level.
So, yeah.
All right then Michael,
all the questions about Ben path.
What is the age actually, when they decide which to turn off science or to switch on
science for their future career? What is it when they have to do the inspiration
and the engagement that they decide that physics and chemistry and science is
something interesting for their future path?
Yeah, so really, there is quite compelling evidence. So young people make their minds
up about what's for them and what's not for them as early as seven, which is kind
of terrifying. And obviously, a lot of outreach and engagement does start a
second. We do it predominantly work three as well. But I think there is a real roles
and starting as early as possible, and working with with really young children to
kind of challenge those preconceptions as well.
But what's, what's the since you talked about role models, or we, in general,
several people talked at the age of seven? Because I mean, many students don't even
have physics or chemistry or anything, even as a subject at school at that level.
So, I mean, is it then the parents or is it
not even necessarily just science? You know, if you think about and certainly I
can't talk from the perspective of curriculum across Europe, but certainly in
we do a lot of work in in primary schools, kind of getting people in from the local
community. So, you know, is there an opportunity there to ensure that the
firefighter comes in or the police are kind of challenging stereotypes? And I'd
say as well Not just overtly challenging stereotypes, but also prompting a
conversation in young people about preconceptions that they have. Obviously,
that's done at a much different level younger than then it could be older.
Just just hear it just give me a one to one chance to make one comment, which has
just popped up in my mind. Because if you say seven year old, make up their mind if
some topic is interesting or not, and our
input,
well, to have to work with children is fine. But I think when I heard that, it's
much more important to work with the teachers of these children, because if
they aren't the these primary school teachers are not settled and not convinced
they are the main role models for them. So if they are able to present scientific
topics in an interesting way, these my interest in them so I think We should also
focus to the teachers training of these teachers who work with seven year old that
they feel confident and this is the science is something curious and
interesting.
I mean, just come I think you're quite right in terms of the role of the teacher
as an influencer. And it's not just teachers, of course, but parents,
everybody who surrounds that young person and has an influence on the choices they
take. But I'd even say it's broader. It doesn't even need to be about presenting
science and it just needs to be about them. encouraging young people not to
close down doors and opportunities based on their elements of their identity. So I
wouldn't even say this is about having a big drive for science specialists in
primary schools. I think it's broader. That's kind of challenging stereotypes and
conditioning.
Fear Harry had another question, but in general, if any of the attendees has
another question and please just raise a virtual hend
Harry, thanks. Um, I was just wondering how
sort of this The pattern is replicated across Europe. I don't know if you know,
if you're focused on the UK, but whether you have a sense of whether there are
countries that do better, and what that what they do differently, there are
examples of that.
I don't think there's any kind of nation that's completely,
you know, winning.
It's kind of challenging and smashing gender stereotypes, and that there is some
really interesting evidence out there, but you know, around kind of different
nations, and I guess the role of careers that physics leads to as well. So in some
nations, there actually are many more progressing in physics, but it's actually
that the careers that leads to don't have honors highly respected in society. So
there is a little bit of them. something quite interesting there. But no, I mean
kind of, you know, interested to hear from for anyone else if this is if this is very
different in other nations and I don't want to completely monopolize this but I
did there was also a question earlier around golf if anybody wants me to
contribute their some thoughts that I'm more than happy to, but I don't want them
to know
was a comment from Herbert
Toby or not really comment was just a question over to john Butterworth. Do you
have any kind of feeling for you know what people you've reached with your books? I
mean, I know you've traveled around quite a bit of book festivals and stuff. And so
it's probably pretty broad. But if you have a feeling for who you're getting at
who you're reaching or
no, not really, I mean, I know the numbers but I don't have any demographic
breakdown. I mean, I know how many of you bought the book and I know that when I go
talk in schools or when I look at you Cass University applications for UCL, it does
appear occasionally and kids bring them to school talks I do in order to start
getting signed. And things, which is always very nice, but it's sad. I don't
have don't have a view of who actually bought the books. And I don't think the
publishers really know that either actually.
Okay, I'm kind of would like to pass the same question on first to Tom and then
also to Peter, so who does you have a feeling for? I mean, I'm part of some
sense, you know, my students are taking part in these master classes too. But, you
know, what? Germany, also the school system is, you know, split into different
kinds of schools, you know, are you mainly reaching nauseum? So the more academic
schools are with the master classes, for example, but also the other parts, you
know what? People you're reaching
Yes. So the master class are targeting high school students. So grade 11 and 12
are starting with 10 but not younger kids. And now in this new project, there are
also approaches to target already younger kids, this is done by the happy monster.
And what we know especially from the Fellow Program, our testimonials, what we
have from this program, some from people, either girls or boys saying that they
really they struggled hard in their first semester at university but they had the
self concept and gained in during their work in that sector in virtue of the
master class. And they were already convinced that they would be able to
finish the study and this really this experience in the in the outreach
activities help them to stay in In the university courses and to spy for the
first half semesters
and so the same questions sometimes beta when you said you know the museum
dramatically increase the number of visitors but wasn't mainly locals or do
they have a broader audience for during the balloon festival anyway or?
Well, the audience was not just during the balloon festival. It's just a one week
period, but they had an increased over the the exhibition started in May 2019 at the
building safer zone in January 2020. So that's a it's not related. They managed to
also get school clauses in because they had something that was covered locally and
10 local school classes so school clubs from neighboring villages, so not too far
away. Day events to that place and got fascinated as well. So the trick itself
thing that didn't exist before. And this is I think the most important aspect of
it. All of the South node is physics hat has been seen as this is real, this is
something that affects us. This is something that we can relate to, and that
we believe this is wrong you also to Beth, about her gender discrimination she has
been talking about. I do believe that physics suffers from being seen as just a
technical subject, but not as a subject that is philosophically enriching because
it adds up to a deep understanding, not just of Above all, going down as some
slippery slope, but it's it tells you why the sky is blue or why decide plants to be
green. Or this is an innovator is physics behind it gives you a deep understanding
of the unit. First of all, no, but I think that aspect is not understood and not
known and not conveyed as cool and not brought into the general understanding of
what it is what we do early from an early age on.
Maybe one one comment, Michael, before, you know, I'd like for you to jump in,
because we're actually reaching the time where the plenary starts again. So I just
wanted to mention quickly that there is another outreach session tomorrow at the
same time quarter to three where we have a little bit more time for discussions. And
there's also some outreach posters at the poster session which is later today. So if
just to mention as the plenary starts again, we can go on happily. But for those
that want to leave, I just wanted to bring that up. Now
want to add something to our times Peter said because what we offered To the
exhibition is over the junior scientists program, which is a treasure hunt in the
exhibition, so this was put out to the students and his children, which is
explicitly created for smaller children. And which explains in the treasure hunt
way. The science, we set up in some creative art activities. So it's, it's not
just that not just have to read the text and learn about it, but they had to make
it a treasure hunt in the exhibition. It's one I just want to do
it as well.
Thank you.
Okay, any other comments, questions? If not, then as I said, tomorrow's another
session. And thank you very much for all panelists. lists slash speakers of today.
Thank you very much for contributing. Hopefully we'll see you again tomorrow. In
the outreach session, you can join the discussion there as well, if you can.
Yeah, and I think
that's it for this first ever,
online only online verification. And as I said, there's also poster session with
some nice outreach related posters from various experiments and projects. So you
might want to check that out later.
Today,
let me actually see you it starts officially at 645. And it's also going to
be interesting. Doing it online only wise. So even for that experience, it might be
worth having a look at.
Okay, thanks, everyone. That's
brilliant sharing. Sasha.
Thanks all. Bye bye. Bye bye.