Year 11s Submit Physics Experiment to CERN

Each year, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) invites senior students from around the globe, to submit a scientific experimental proposal in the area of particle physics.

Seven of our Year 11 students, Maeve Lehane, Lily Richardson, Jessica Yeo, Hannah Carmody, Sophie Muir, Amanda Nguyen, and Niamh Roberts, worked impressively hard over the Term 1 break to submit a proposal which they hope to showcase in a particle accelerator.

In simple terms, a particle accelerator is a special machine that speeds up charged particles and channels them into a beam.

The two teams from around the globe that prepare the best proposals, will win a trip to the CERN Proton Synchrotron Accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, to perform their experiments at a fully equipped beamline.

Mathematics and Science Teacher, Samantha Dodras, coordinated this project and assisted the girls in getting their proposal off the ground.

“Our journey started last year during the Year 10 Physics course. Both classes of Semesters 1 and 2 proved to be an absolute pleasure to teach and work with on various STEM-based projects. I could observe the enthusiasm and the great potential, hence I invested. Before we knew it, the team ‘Molecool’ was born in 2022!”, said Samantha.

“The total hours of work put into this project, between the wrap-up of ideas, proposal writing, and video making, amounted to around 100 hours combined. The whole journey so far has been thoroughly delightful for me as a teacher. The amount of passion, commitment, work ethic, and perseverance that the girls exhibited was truly astounding!”, added Samantha.

Through participating in the experiment, the girls hope to expand their knowledge of particle physics and the technology used to advance it.

Here is an excerpt from their submitted proposal:

“COVID-19 has restricted our real-world experiences both inside and outside of Australia. This chance to work in an atmosphere with sophisticated and well-equipped resources teaches us how to be flexible in a new environment as well”.

They continued, “We hope, as an enthusiastic team of girls, to truly inspire our community by working hard to reach our goals.”

We would like to wish the ‘Molecool’ team good luck, and hope that they are selected to perform their experiment in Geneva!

If you would like to learn more about their proposal, check out the video below!