International Cosmic Day 2014
5 December 2014
A Worldwide Cosmic Particle Measurement Adventure Undertaken by Students from 12 Nations
ICD 2014 at DESY Zeuthen
The third International Cosmic Day took place on 8 October 2014 . On this day students worldwide learn about astroparticle physics with hands-on activities, sharing the experience of how researchers work and communicate with each other. Students get in contact with astroparticle physicists and have a first insight into their research and experimental methods, they even get the chance to collaborate with them.
The relatively young research field of astroparticle physics has been developing dynamically over the last few years. It is one of the most exciting areas of research, connecting particle physics (studying the microcosm of elementary particles) with astrophysics and cosmology (studying the biggest structures in the universe and their evolution over cosmic times). One of the very interesting challenges in astroparticle physics is to understand the acceleration mechanisms of cosmic ray particles to very high energies, much higher than accelerators on Earth can reach.
Cosmic ray particles travel over huge distances through the Milky Way. Those which arrive at earth interact with the air in the atmosphere and produce a shower of new particles. Some of these can be detected on the ground, and scientists can learn a lot about the universe from them. On the International Cosmic Day, students around the globe can learn about cosmic rays (What are cosmic particles? Where do they come from? How can they be measured?) and carry out experiments with secondary cosmic ray particles in universities, research institutions or even their classrooms. They are able to analyze cosmic ray data, discuss about and learn from their results.
The 3rd International Cosmic Day on October 8, started early in Japan and China, and continued over India, Georgia, Romania, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and England, ending late that day in Mexico and the USA (see the map for details). The students started their day mostly with listening to introductory talks about the exciting field of astroparticle physics. This motivated them to start, immediately afterwards, planning and executing their own experiments in order to measure secondary cosmic ray particles.
Just like scientists, the students had to measure, analyze, interpret, and discuss their data. Next, they recorded their results and proceeded with the important step of discussing their experiments with student groups from all the participating countries, as it indeed happens within the international scientific community. This was facilitated by the organization of two Skype video conferences in different time slots to accommodate the time differences between participating countries.
At the end of the day, each student group had to write a one-page report about their experiment and results. These publications, together with a short introduction about the university, research institute or school where the event took place, will be combined to a booklet and will be sent out to all participants. Furthermore, every student will receive a certificate for her/his research participation in the International Cosmic Day 2014.
International Cosmic Day 2014 at a High School in Germany
An organizer from Italy wrote about her impression of the day: “The students left so happy and excited for analyzing and publishing data and also because they were able to interact during data taking.”, while an organizer from Mexico summarized it with the words: “This day has been incredibly exciting.” Arne Schoenwald, who together with colleagues from DESY Zeuthen, organized the event this year said: “The ICD 2014 needed a lot of organization and coordination, but I enjoyed the opportunity to be in contact with so many very motivated colleagues, teachers, and organizers, without whom the ICD could not take place. So a big thanks to all the local organizers and the support of DESY Zeuthen, who made this day possible!”
The 3rd International Cosmic Day on October 8, 2014 was organized by DESY, Fermilab, QuarkNet, and Netzwerk Teilchenwelt. DESY in Zeuthen has the leadership for the astroparticle project in the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt, and this is where the idea of the International Cosmic Day was born a few years ago.
To learn more about the ICD and the supporting institutions:
International Particle Physics Outreach Group
Participation Map
DESY
Fermilab
Quarknet
Teilchenwelt