The Development and Assessment of Particle Physics Summer Program for High School Students

ORAL · Invited

Abstract

A four week immersive summer program for high school students was developed and implemented to promote awareness of university level research. The program was completely directed by an undergraduate physics major and included a hands-on and student-led capstone project for the high school students. The goal was to create an adaptive and shareable curriculum in order to influence high school students' views of university level research and what it means to be a scientist. The program was assessed through various methods including a pre and post survey developed for the program, a previously vetted student attitudes toward STEM survey, weekly blog posts, and an oral exit interview. The curriculum included visits to local laboratories, an introduction to particle physics and the IceCube collaboration, an introduction to electronics and computer programming, and their capstone project: planning and building a scale model of the IceCube detector. At the conclusion of the program the high school students participated an outreach event to the general public at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and gave a formal oral presentation to the Department of Physics at Drexel University. More details concerning the curriculum and its development along with the results will be shared.

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Authors

  • Brean Prefontaine

    Drexel University

  • Shahab Derakhshan

    Drexel University, Univ of Delaware, Princeton University, Naval Surface Warfare Center\Carderock Division\West Bethesda site, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Georgetown Univ., Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Deleware, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada-Reno, university of Delaware, Contributors, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, Towson University, Choice Research Group, Univ of the Sciences in Philadephia, Rutgers Univ, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Chemistry, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, Bucknell University, Towson University, University of Maryland, College of William and Mary, Naval Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Villanova University, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brescia, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Potsdam, Delaware State University DE, NIH Bethesda MD, Wilmington Friends School DE, University Of Rochester NY, Delaware State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy,West Virginia University, The National Energy Technology Laboratory, Non-tenure track professor at research institution, Government Sponsored Laboratory, Research and Development at Industrial Company, Tenure-track Professor at 4 yr college, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lehigh Univ, Johns Hopkins Univ, NIST, GMU, GWU, Lock Haven University of PA, Univ of Maryland-Balt County; Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Univ of Maryland-Balt County, Pennsylvania State University, BAE Systems, Inc., Nashua, New Hampshire 03061, Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506-6315, California State University, Long Beach

  • Shahab Derakhshan

    Drexel University, Univ of Delaware, Princeton University, Naval Surface Warfare Center\Carderock Division\West Bethesda site, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Georgetown Univ., Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Deleware, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada-Reno, university of Delaware, Contributors, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences, Towson University, Choice Research Group, Univ of the Sciences in Philadephia, Rutgers Univ, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Chemistry, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, Bucknell University, Towson University, University of Maryland, College of William and Mary, Naval Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Villanova University, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brescia, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Potsdam, Delaware State University DE, NIH Bethesda MD, Wilmington Friends School DE, University Of Rochester NY, Delaware State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy,West Virginia University, The National Energy Technology Laboratory, Non-tenure track professor at research institution, Government Sponsored Laboratory, Research and Development at Industrial Company, Tenure-track Professor at 4 yr college, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Biology and Soft Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lehigh Univ, Johns Hopkins Univ, NIST, GMU, GWU, Lock Haven University of PA, Univ of Maryland-Balt County; Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Univ of Maryland-Balt County, Pennsylvania State University, BAE Systems, Inc., Nashua, New Hampshire 03061, Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506-6315, California State University, Long Beach