ATLAS masterclass 2024
VISPA hosted its 10th Masterclass on 27 April 2024, with 31 excellent students from 11 high schools around the Victoria area (with some from as far as Shawnigan Lake, Mill Bay, and Metchosin!). The students gathered at the University of Victoria for a one day crash course in particle physics, experiencing what it's like to be a particle physicist and ATLAS scientist.
The program included four presentations from particle physics researchers on particle physics theory and the Standard Model (from UVic theorist Takahiro Uzu), on particle accelerators and the Large Hadron Collider (from UVic accelerator physicist Daniel Hedji), on the ATLAS detector (from UVic ATLAS physicist Maheyer Shroff), and on the analysis of collision data (from UVic Belle2 physicist Alex Beaubien). The Masterclass students connected to a live video tour of the ATLAS control room in CERN, and experienced hands on analysis of actual ATLAS data to find Z and Higgs bosons and to search for undiscovered new particles, with thanks to very helpful advice from UVic ATLAS physicists Adrienne Scott and Charlie Chen. Results were shared via video conference with other teams at TRIUMF/UBC, at Simon Fraser University, at LBNL/UCBerkeley, and also at a large high school in Falls Church, VA. Many thanks to all the high school teachers and students for their help and participation, and to the many VISPA members and UVic staff and faculty involved in organizing this event.