1 / 48

PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY

PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY. Education and Outreach. Gregory R. Snow / University of Nebraska Task Leader for Auger Education, Outreach, Public Relations DPF Meeting, October 30, 2006. Outline. Brief Introduction to the Observatory Goals of the Education and Outreach Task

vconnor
Download Presentation

PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY Education and Outreach Gregory R. Snow / University of Nebraska Task Leader for Auger Education, Outreach, Public Relations DPF Meeting, October 30, 2006

  2. Outline • Brief Introduction to the Observatory • Goals of the Education and Outreach Task • Efforts in Mendoza Province and elsewhere • Public Lectures, Events • Building Open House Celebrations • Visitor Center in Office Building • Eureka Science Museum in Mendoza • Observatory Inauguration and Science Fair • New James Cronin School in Malargüe • Plans for the Northern Hemisphere site

  3. The Pierre Auger Observatory Northern Hemisphere: S.E. Colorado, USA Planning in progress Southern Hemisphere: Malargüe Province of Mendoza Argentina Construction nearing completion 1600 detectors, 3000 km2 each site

  4. The Auger Collaboration67 Institutions, 369 Collaborators • True International Partnership • No country, region or institution dominates • No country contributes more than 25% to the construction. Argentina Netherlands Australia Poland Bolivia* Portugal Brazil Slovenia Czech Republic Spain France United Kingdom Germany USA Italy Vietnam* Mexico * associate

  5. The Pierre Auger Observatory • Status of Argentina site • 1190 out of 1600 surface detectors installed • 3 out of 4 fluorescence telescope buildings • complete and operational • Southern Hemisphere site complete mid-2007 • First physics results presented at the • ICRC 2005 conference in India, July 2005 • Northern Hemisphere site • Planning, proposal preparation in progress • Southeast Colorado chosen as northern site • Setting in Argentina • 6000 people in remote small town Malargüe • Auger collaboration presence quite noticeable • Positive impact desired at many levels • Education/outreach activities organized in a • distinct subtask led by G. Snow • Example: tanks carry names provided by • local school students

  6. Goals of the Education/Outreach Task • Use the Auger Observatory and international collaboration to enhance • science literacy and technology skills in the regions of the Auger sites • and internationally • Increase public awareness and support for basic research in physics, • astrophysics, and all areas of science • Encourage and support a wide range of education/outreach projects • which link schools, community groups, and the public with the • science and scientists of the Auger Observatory • Provide technical and non-technical information on Auger to a wide • range of audiences – students, public, government officials, scientific • colleagues • Recruit and encourage the participation of groups underrepresented • in science in Auger education/outreach activities

  7. 2005 report last page Outreach papers/posters submitted to 2001 and 2005 ICRCs along with all the science papers

  8. Public Lectures in Malargüe • Nightly science talks given to student and • adult groups during collaboration meetings • Thanks to Office of Tourism for hosting

  9. Some nights in Spanish Tere got inspired Hans spoke Spanish Many collaborators participate Hans: Welcome Beatriz: Physics intro Ingo: SD status Alberto: FD status Tere: Results 40 students and teachers in attendance

  10. Some nights in English 68 people in attendance, mostly students of English Question to Alan: “What do cosmic rays have to do with the origin of the Universe?”

  11. Mars Closest Approach • August 27, 2003 • Public conference at Malarge Convention Center – 250 people • Telescope viewing also

  12. Assembly Building Inaugurationand Open House, November 2000

  13. Auger Center Building InaugurationOctober 2001

  14. Visitor Center at Auger Office Building Data Acquisition Visitor Center 10  12 m2

  15. Visitor Center at Auger Office Building PC and multimedia projection Seats 60 people Glass cabinet for library and displays Quarter-size FD mirror set-up from Karlsruhe

  16. Visitor Center Continued Success Students from Escuela Gendarme Argentino, Malargüe29 October 2004

  17. Visitor Center Statistics 21,850 visitors through middle of March 2006 Thanks to Analía Cáceres

  18. Visitor Center Statistics by Province in Argentina Buenos Aires Mendoza Vast majority from Argentina

  19. Visitor Center Statistics by Foreign Country Germany Brazil Chile USA

  20. Visitor Center Web Site Home page News postings Monthly news and events E-mail bulletin

  21. Eureka Science Museum Former Los Leones prototype mirrors donated to Eureka by Torino group/INFN Children are fascinated by it!

  22. Eureka Science Museum Electronics displays PCs, brochures, posters Beeping Geiger counter display

  23. Eureka Science Museum History of cosmic ray physics in Argentina and Auger details

  24. Auger Exhibit Inauguration • Governor elect of • Mendoza Province, • Ing. Julio Cobos • Press • coverage

  25. Observatory Inauguration, November 2005 • Major public relations and media event • November 10-11, 2005, in Malargüe • 175 government officials, ambassadors, • funding agency representatives • Ribbon cutting ceremony, talks, tours of remote • detector sites

  26. Governor Julio Cobos • Jim Cronin • Country dignitaries

  27. Tours of detectors • Picnic with traditional • dancers

  28. Auger sponsored Science Fair, Nov. 11-12, 2005 • 29 teams from all over the • Province of Mendoza • Prizes awarded to top three • projects, certificate to all teams • Many thanks to Local Organizing • Committee of 4 local teachers • Fabian Amaya • Miguel Herrera • Alicia Piastrelini • Roberto Sánchez • They invested months of work • Also: • Malargüe municipality • (Stands, financial support, some • of the prizes, …) • Auger local staff members

  29. Auger collaborators served as judges José, Miguel, Beatriz, Rebeca, Carla, and Greg

  30. Award Recipients 2nd: Maglev train, Mendoza 1st: Wind tunnel, Mendoza 3rd: Lake pollution, El Nihuil Honorable mention: Malargüe team, calcium sulfate mill

  31. First in a series of such Science Fairs Second Science Fair being considered in November 2007 We saved the banners for future use

  32. 2000 Auger collaborators participatingin Malargüe Day parade 2004 2003 2004

  33. Teaching Methods Course for Malargüe Science TeachersGrades 1-7; 8-9 November 2004 by R. López • Teachers developed hands-on experiments in response to questions • Topics included light, reflection, gas pressure, motion, …

  34. CERN’s 50th Anniversary, October 16, 2004 30,000 visitors overall, thousands of visitors to the Auger Observatory display

  35. Long standing connection with “James Cronin School of Communication, Art, and Design” Visits with students Naming ceremony Collaborators mentor student science fair projects 1st graduation festival Nov. 2003

  36. New “James Cronin School” in Malargüe • Long effort to build new science school • coming to fruition • Large donation from the Grainger • Foundation • Funds managed by Auger Foundation • Curriculum input Present school location Construction started March 2005

  37. The James Cronin School in Malargüe November 2005

  38. Key hand-over to Mendoza Province 6 February 2006

  39. The James Cronin School in Malargüe Beautiful interior March 2006

  40. The James Cronin School in Malargüe The first two students March 2006 Official inauguration of school in November 2006 Overseen by Norberto Fazzini

  41. Northern Auger Site Denver • Lamar • Headquarters • foreseen • at Lamar • Community • College Southeast Colorado

  42. Regional Science Fair at Lamar Community College F. Sarazin and G. Snow mounted an Auger display with posters, brochures, Geiger counters, scintillators. oscilloscopes, …

  43. Regional Science Fair at Lamar Community College J. Harton and F. Sarazin talking about the northern site with Science Fair visitors

  44. Regional Science Fair at Lamar Community College J. Harton addressing assembly before awards ceremony Students waiting for judges

  45. Northern Site Outreach • Things we learned from visitors to the Science Fair • The Auger Observatory is quite well known in SE • Colorado • People are anxious to know more and get involved • “Please put a tank on our property!” • Teachers are interested in Auger outreach initiatives • in their schools • Overall, we judge EARLY and CONTINUING outreach • efforts to the communities and schools to be very • important to our success in the North

  46. Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP) in Nebraska

  47. We now have the equipment in Lamar for one detector set-up Lamar Upcoming proposal for Phase II of CROP – statewide expansion – can include SE Colorado extension

  48. Conclusions • The education and public outreach efforts of the • Pierre Auger Observatory are having a very positive • impact in Argentina • With hiring of full-time Northern Site Auger Outreach • Coordinator (funded by Colorado Community College • System -- interviews next week), a focused program • to promote the Observatory’s Colorado site and • jump-start a comprehensive outreach program will • begin shortly

More Related