1 pierre auger observatory education and outreach gregory snow university of nebraska dpf 2011,...

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PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY

Education

and

Outreach

Gregory Snow

University of Nebraska

DPF 2011, Providence, Rhode Island

9-13 August 2011DPF 2011, August 9, 2011Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow

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Outline• Introduction to the Auger Observatory and Goals of the Education and Outreach Task

• Efforts in Mendoza Province, Argentina• Public Lectures• Building Open House Celebrations• Visitor Center in Office Building• Rural Schools Program• Science Fairs• James Cronin School in Malargüe

• Other Education/Outreach Efforts• Online Resources• New video documentary• Michigan Technical University Scholarship

DPF 2011, August 9, 2011Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow

Highlights of 10+ years of outreach activities

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Malargüe is a small town on the high plains, the foothills of the Andes. Mendoza Province is also the wine making region of Argentina.

We are here.

The Pierre Auger Observatory

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Observatory Layout

Surface Detector (SD) Array 1600 detector stations 1.5 km spacing 3000 km2

Fluorescence Detectors (FD) 4 Telescope enclosures 6 Telescopes per

enclosure 24 Telescopes total


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The Hybrid Design – 2 detector techniques employed

• Nearly calorimetric energy calibration of the fluorescence detector transferred to the event gathering power of the surface array.

• A complementary set of mass sensitive shower parameters.

• Different measurement techniques force understanding of systematic uncertainties

• Determination of the angular and core position resolutions

Surface detector array + Air fluorescence detectors

Glow represents UV fluorescence light emitted by N2 in atmosphere

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• Education and Outreach paper and poster presented at each ICRC along with science papers


ICRC 2011, Beijing, August 2011Proceedings contribution

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Goals of the Education/Outreach Task

• Use the Auger Observatory and international collaboration to enhancescience literacy and technology skills in the regions of the Auger sitesand 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 projectswhich link schools, community groups, and the public with thescience 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 underrepresentedin science in Auger education/outreach activities


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Auger collaborators participatingin Malargüe Day parade – a tradition !!

2000

2003

2004

2005


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Auger collaboration participatesin Malargüe Day parades

2010

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Public Lectures in Malargüe

• Nightly science talks given to student and adult groups during collaboration meetings


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Auger Office Complex InaugurationOctober 2001

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Visitor Center at Auger Office Building

Visitor Center10 12 m2

Data Acquisition


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Seats 60 people

Quarter-size FD mirrorset-up from Karlsruhe

Visitor Center at Auger Office Building

Spark Chamber fromPortugal

PC and multimediaprojection


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Visitor Center Hosts Many School Groups

57 7th graders from General Alvear

60 elementary studentsfrom Malargüe

50 7th graders from Maipu


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Visitors logged since 2001 by year

Over 65,000 total, about 6000 per year


DPF 2009, Detroit, July 28, 2009Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow 16

• Collaboration instrumental in Malargüe’s new planetarium, the 2nd in Argentina.

On Scientific Council

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Rural Schools Program

Observatory staff members volunteer their time to bring cosmic rayscience and infrastructure improvements to remote schools which have difficulty visiting the Observatory

Supported by donations from collaborating institutions and individualsto an Education Fund

Science presentationDonation of electric heaters


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The Collaboration has sponsored three Science Fairsin its Assembly Building

2005 Science Fair

Poster for advertising

25 student-teachers teamsfrom all over Mendoza

Province


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November 2007 Science Fair drew42 participating teams

Jim Cronin with first-placeteam in Technology


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November 2010 Science Fair drew22 participating teams

Youngest team and farthestdistance traveled

Collaborators serveas judges

Prizes awardedDPF 2011, August 9, 2011Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow

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Close Contact with Malargüe Schools

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Diplomas for students with names on SD tanks

• Tank names solicited from Malargüe students

November 2003

“Ezra”


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Collaboration members present frequent courses for local science teachers

Rebeca Lopez (Mexico) explains hands-onoptics experiments to Malargüe teachers

Beatriz García (UTN Mendoza) presents an astronomycourse to Malargüe teachers

Rebeca Lopez presenting hands-on course toteachers in General Alvear, 200 km from Malargüe

Malargüe teachers demonstrate theirown experiments to other teachers

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James Cronin School Inauguration

New school openedNovember 2007

Funding from Malargüe,Mendoza Province,

U.S. Grainger Foundation


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Google Earth Model of the Observatory

3D images of Observatory buildings and detectors with fly-over capability


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Release of event information to public• Since October 2007• 5 languages• Wikipedia links• Google site statistics, 4000 hits per year


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Using Auger data released to public

Lamar, Colorado, high school students win regional science fair


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New Auger Video Documentary

• “Voces del Universo”, 26 minutes• Features detectors and work at the site, plus activities at collaborating universities, interviews in native languages• English and Spanish subtitles• DVD and video stream at http://www.auger.org

Surface detector and signagealong Route 40

Fermilab’s Carlos Hojvatwith Geiger counters


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Michigan Technological UniversityScholarship

Dave Nitz and Angelo Chialva at MTU

• One student from Malargüe supported for 4-year program every other year

• Tuition, room and board, fees covered

• Students selected by Malargüe’s school principals and mayor

• 1st student enrolled Autumn 2001

• 4th student graduated May 2011

• Students have embarked on engineering or science careers in the U.S. or Argentina

• 5th student to started in the Autumn 2010


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Conclusions

• Outreach in the local community and beyond has been instrumental to the success of the Auger Observatory

• Close contact with the community and schools has fostered a sense of ownership and being part of the experiment’s scientific mission


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Backup Slides


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The Auger Collaboration67 Institutions, 369 Collaborators

Argentina NetherlandsAustralia PolandBolivia* PortugalBrazil Slovenia Czech Republic SpainFrance U.K. Germany USAItaly Vietnam*

Mexico

* associate

U.S. Institutions (17)Argonne NYU N. Mex.Case Western Northeastern PennColo. School of Mines Ohio State UtahColo. State Penn State WisconsinFermilab UCLALouisiana State ChicagoMichigan Tech Nebraska

Alan Watson Jim CroninDPF 2011, August 9, 2011Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow

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Aerial Photos of Fluorescence BuildingsNovember 2006

LIDAR Enclosure

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Some nights in Spanish

40 students and teachersin attendance

Hans spoke Spanish

Many collaborators participateHans: WelcomeBeatriz: Physics introIngo: SD statusAlberto: FD statusTere: Results

Tere gotinspired


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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?”


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Mendoza Province’s only Planetarium in Malargüe

• Auger collaboration and city of Malargüe worked together on the idea of a planetarium


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Press coverage, press releases


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Forum with Teachers and Students

• 120 participants• 8 Auger collaborators• Discussion of future programs requested by teachers and students• Many good ideas: future course topics, coordination with School Board, science fair, …


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Eureka Science Park in MendozaParque de la Ciencia y la Tecnología

• Two years of planning and logistics led to the public inauguration of an Auger Observatory exhibit on November 22, 2003

• Outside: 2 Mexican SD tanks outdoors with explanatory signs

• Inside: Italian FD prototype from Los Leones, posters, brochures, PC with interactive activities, small displays

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Eureka Science Museum

• Mexican prototype SD tanks

• Outfitted by UTN, Mendoza, group


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Eureka Science MuseumFormer Los Leones prototype mirrorsdonated to Eureka by Torino group/INFN

Children are fascinated by it!DPF 2011, August 9, 2011Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow

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Electronics displays PCs, brochures, posters

BeepingGeigercounterdisplay


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History of cosmic ray physicsin Argentina and Auger details


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Auger Exhibit Inauguration

• Governor elect of Mendoza Province, Ing. Julio Cobos

• Press coverage


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The James Cronin School of Communication, Art and Design

Naming ceremony

New building neededFunding initiative in progress

1st graduation festival Nov. 2003

Visits with students

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Three students place 11th (out of 300) in Mendoza Science Fairwith their Auger exhibit and accompanying posters

Collaborators help with local student science projects


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Mendoza

Eureka exhibit opening


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Rumbos Magazine (Los Andes)



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December 2003


Professors, students part of effort to learn about cosmic rays The mention of Argentina conjures any number of exotic or dramatic images ... Eva Peron ... dancing the tango ... gauchos riding the plains ... falling high-energy cosmic rays …..

Louisiana State, Jim MatthewsJanuary 2004


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Visitor Center Web Site

News at the Web, and by e-mail

Home page

News postings

Monthly news and events E-mail bulletinDPF 2011, August 9, 2011Auger Education and Outreach – G. Snow

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Inauguration, November 2008

Mendoza Province Governor Celso Jacque (left)

Over 200 dignitariesattended from all over

the world


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Argentina Vice President Julio Cobos (right)

“Asado” withtraditional dancers and music


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Mendoza Province Governor Celso Jacque (left)

Over 200 dignitariesattended from all over

the world

Judy!


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Pier OddoneFermilab director

Robert Aymarthen CERN director


1 pierre auger observatory education and outreach gregory snow university of nebraska dpf 2011,...

Documents

auger collaborators

pierre auger observatorydpf

outreach paper

outreach task efforts

detector stations

educationoutreach taskuse

atmosphere dpf

argentina public lectures