On Saturday 4 July, pupils from schools across London presented their work on Queen Mary University of London research projects at the annual ‘Cosmic Con’ conference.
The event forms part of the School of Physics and Astronomy's Physics Research in School Environments (PRiSE) programme, which offers students the opportunity to experience the cutting-edge physics research at Queen Mary.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s conference was held online and attended by representatives from the Royal Society, South East Physics network, and Ogden Trust as well as Queen Mary researchers, and students’ family, friends, and teachers.
Dr Martin Archer, Public Engagement and Outreach Officer at Queen Mary’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: "It's great that we've been able to celebrate the physics research that these school students across London have been working on in collaboration with Queen Mary since the start of the academic year, even if we could only do this virtually. The sheer quality of work, far beyond the curriculum, from such a range of different students and schools is a testament to the potential of young people everywhere when given opportunities such as these. I hope that their work on PRiSE projects proves beneficial in their future educational journey."
Some of the best projects were presented with prizes at the end of the conference. The winners included:
The ‘Cosmic Con’ conference is the culmination of six months’ work on research projects across four areas of active research at Queen Mary, cosmic rays, space sounds, exoplanets and particle physics.
The students are supported throughout this time not only by their teachers but also by active researchers from the School of Physics and Astronomy, who are experts in the relevant research areas.
The innovative PRiSE programme has previously been recognised by several public engagement related awards, including the Times Higher Education Awards.
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