Friday Flyer on Monday - October 14, 2019
Spotlight on the Fermilab/University of Chicago QuarkNet Center
This center based at Fermilab is led by lead teacher George Dzuricsko and mentors Angela Fava and Tom Carter. In April of this year, the Fermilab center hosted a neutrino masterclass during which students from several area high schools analyzed MINERvA data and toured both the ICARUS detector and the Remote Operations Center West (ROC-W) at Fermilab. This center was able to once again host five high school students for a summer research experience from June 17–July 26, thanks to funding from the College of DuPage. In July, 17 teachers met at this center for a three-day neutrino data workshop. During this time, teachers also had the opportunity to hear talks from the five students involved in summer student research about their work, and toured the Grid Computing Center, ROC-W, and NuMI underground at Fermilab.
News from QuarkNet Central
World Wide Data Day (W2D2) is this coming Wednesday, October 16. For last-minute updates, please see W2D2 Memo 4, just out today! For those who still need to perform a Vidyo Test, there is one more chance on Tuesday, October 15, from 18:00–20:00 UTC. Be sure to check out the videoconference schedule by clicking on Videocons on the W2D2 page linked above. Contact Ken or Shane with any questions you may have.
And here are a couple other calendar reminders:
- International Cosmic Day is Wednesday, November 6, 2019.
- International Masterclasses 2020 will run from February 26 through April 8, 2020. Registration will begin later this fall. Stay tuned.
Physics Experiment Roundup
The CMS collaboration has measured a variation in the mass of the top quark that depends upon the energy scale used to measure the particle. This "running" of mass has already been measured in previous experiments for the bottom and charm quarks; this recent announcement from CMS based on high-energy proton-proton collisions is the first such measurement for the top quark.
Do cosmic rays affect clouds and climate? The CLOUD experiment at CERN seeks to answer this question. From clouds to rain...check out the link in the Resources section for advice on staying as dry as possible in the rain.
Resources
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019 was recently awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor, and Didier Queloz "for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth's place in the cosmos." You can read more about this year's prize in symmetry. This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was also recently awarded to three individuals "for the development of lithium-ion batteries."
Ever wonder if it's better to walk or run in the rain? The folks at MinutePhysics have an answer! From rain to snow...check out evidence that winter is nearing (or here!) in Just for Fun.
Just for Fun
It's already that time of the year to pull out xkcd's Snow Tracking, an oldie but goodie that has been used in the FF in previous years. We know it's time because this happened (photo credit: NWS, Grand Forks) this past weekend in parts of the Upper Midwest of the U.S. With the snow came a big drop to more winter-like temperatures. Here's a sampling of temperature drops for a few of our QuarkNet centers.
Perhaps at least a few winter enthusiasts out there find this "fun"!
QuarkNet Staff:
Mark Adams: adams@fnal.gov
Ken Cecire: kcecire@nd.edu
Shane Wood: swood5@nd.edu