Youth and science

Baksan School "Particles and Cosmology"

On 3 - 11 April, the International School for students, postgraduates and young scientists specializing in the interdisciplinary field at the interface of particle physics and astronomy - particle astrophysics was held at the foot of Mount Elbrus, in the village of Terskol, not far from the Baksan Neutrino Observatory (BNO) of INR RAS. The 17th International School "Particles and Cosmology" in Baksan was held jointly by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INR RAS) with the organizational support of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh. M. Berbekov.

The previous Schools "Particles and Cosmology" were held every two years but the tradition broke down in the early 2000s and for the first time, after a 15-year break, this world-famous school cycle was resumed in 2019. At that time, the resumption of the School was an important event for the entire Russian astrophysical community. The renewed School changed its format: it was focused on deep study by its students of certain areas that were expected to change every two years. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 epidemic prevented a return to the biennial mode of the School.

And just this year, six years later, more than 80 participants from Russia and abroad gathered again at Baksan to learn from the experience of the world's leading experts in astrophysics. The programme of the School included four lecture courses, practical and discussion sessions, several individual lectures, group projects of participants, poster sessions, as well as an excursion to the underground laboratories of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory of INR RAS.

"At the closing event, one of the participants said that she had already been to many schools but this one seemed the most interesting. I join her in her opinion, I have been to many schools in different roles as well but perhaps for the first time, I found all the lectures and workshops interesting. As far as I can imagine the audience's point of view, they must have seemed interesting to them as well. We were not very lucky with the weather, so the free time was used to work on projects and it paid off: the defense of the projects became an event. The excursion to the Baksan Neutrino Observatory was so popular that it had to be held on two days to show the facilities to more people. The proximity to the BNO INR RAS influenced the School's topic and there is hope that the School will be used to establish new scientific ties with a long-range perspective," one of the Co-Chairmen of the School's Organizing Committee, a chief researcher of INR RAS, Corresponding Member of RAS Sergey Troitsky shares his impressions.

One of the School participants, Truong Hoai Bao Phi (Vietnam) wrote: "The 17th International Baksan School on Astrophysics "Particles and Cosmology" is a unique experience combining deep scientific knowledge and inspiration from the majestic nature of the Caucasus. As a participant, I highly appreciate the opportunity to learn from leading experts in particle physics and cosmology, to broaden my horizons through rich lectures and lively discussions. I am especially grateful for new acquaintances with colleagues that share a passion for science. My heartfelt thanks to the organizers for their attentiveness and enthusiasm that made the School unforgettable!"

"In 2018, Academician Valery Rubakov approached me with a request to revive the Baksan School and I readily responded. Already in 2019, Sergey Troitsky and I held the first "school of the new cycle" that proved to be very successful. Today, in our time of scientific competition and constant scarcity of resources, it is especially important to prioritize in a right way. Astrophysics, cosmology and neutrino physics are the areas where we can really obtain fundamentally new knowledge. But for this, we need young personnel and such schools are the key to their education.

This School had such an outstanding lineup of lecturers that each lecture became an event. Practical lessons on reconstruction of events in NOvA and on work with photomultipliers caused a real stir. The brilliant lectures on genetics and volcanoes were very memorable. The School participants also enjoyed the scientific battle about the future of particle physics that was debated for more than two hours by BLTP Director D.I.Kazakov and a chief researcher of the Institute of Nuclear Physics S.V.Troitsky. The highlight of the School included the real scientific projects uniting students in 10 groups that competed with each other in meeting complex and ambitious tasks: from optimizing a neutrino detector to colonizing the Moon, using the Earth's atmosphere as a giant detector, analyzing astrophysical events and much more. All groups handled their projects with honor, producing excellent papers and scientific reports. Some even included estimates of project costs and phasing. And this is exactly what is needed, that is to develop the scientific future of our country.

The staff of the Smile Hotel completely corresponded to its name, trying to make our stay comfortable and unforgettable. JINR Directorate also took part in the work of the School and even the local self-government bodies visited the event twice, presenting awards to the organizers. The event ended with a concert of the KBSU creative team and awarding of the participants," Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee of the School, Deputy Director of JINR Dmitry Naumov highlighted. "Was the School successful? I think, if students' eyes are burning, it means that everything worked out. And at this School, even in the dark hall, there was always light! I would like to express my gratitude to Directorates and staffs of JINR, INR RAS, BNO, KBSU for their help in organizing the School. Especially, I would like to emphasize the friendly work of the Organizing Committee that allowed to hold the School at the highest level".

DLNP Scientific Communications Group,
photo by Elena SOKOLOVA