Meridians of cooperation

Entering the world of science through laboratory doors

On 8 - 13 September, the JINR Scientific School for students of the School University of the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology was held for the fifth time.

Traditionally, the School began with a meeting on Mendeleevskaya Embankment. Against the backdrop of the periodic table of chemical elements on the wall of the Swimming Pool "Archimedes", Director of the JINR University Centre Dmitry Kamanin delivered a welcoming speech. He spoke briefly about Dubna as a beautiful city of nuclear physicists on the banks of the Volga. He also spoke about the Joint Institute and its major projects to date. He wished everyone a wonderful time exploring science, the city and the exceptionally pleasant weather. "Enjoy life. Look around, listen to the reports. We sincerely hope that you will make amazing discoveries and that this visit will help you to pave your way to great science," Dmitry Kamanin concluded.

A very comprehensive programme was prepared for the guests from Egypt. Each of the five days included lectures, excursions, meetings with researchers and students, as well as a short workshop. The schoolchildren saw the interactive exhibition "JINR basic facilities" at the Cultural Centre "Mir". They visited VBLHEP, where they learned about the NICA megascience project, FLNP and the EG-5 accelerator, as well as DLNP. Visits were also organized to the Kadyshevsky Physics and Mathematics Lyceum and Dubna State University. A day trip to Moscow included a visit to Red Square, Zaryadie Park and a boat ride through the city centre.

The participants in this Scientific School are typically aged 14-16. They are high school students preparing to choose their future education and career path. This year, 14 students and three adult chaperones attended.

The chief curator and Deputy Director of the JINR University Centre Wael Badawy described the selection and participation programme for the Scientific School. "This project is an initiative of our colleagues from the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. They are partially responsible for the organization. They also select participants that is very rigorous. The curriculum at the School university is designed for six years. The first two years cover general fundamental science. Then, for four years, students study specific subjects: physics, mathematics, computer technology, biology and so on. At the end of the course, an exam is taken and those who receive the highest scores are interviewed. This is where the selection process concludes: it is necessary to ensure that the child speaks and understands English well," Wael Badawy explained. "Therefore, the students coming to JINR are highly qualified, interested in learning, participating in discussions and asking questions." And of course, it is very pleasant for both lecturers and supervisors."

There are many people interested in participating in this programme. The website is programmed to accept two hundred applications and according to statistics, they are all filled within the first 30 minutes of the application opening.

V.Badawy also commented on the project's main mission, "Education typically consists of theory and books. Therefore, the main goal of coming to Dubna is to experience the scientific atmosphere, to see the equipment firsthand and to work on experiments. When a child has contact with hardware, his character will be developed through the relation to science."

Science is very popular in Egypt. The country makes a significant contribution to the development and creation of conditions for science. Egypt, a JINR Member State, is interested in ensuring that children gain maximum knowledge and information about modern science.

To some extent, participation in the Scientific School also involves training, Wael Badawy says, "This programme can truly influence students' career choices. My colleagues in Egypt say there are already precedents where children initially expressed a desire for the humanities - literature, history, philosophy but after participating in our programme, they began focusing on physics, biology and chemistry. Even though we've only been holding the School for five years, it already has an impact on the thinking of students and their parents. And this is very important, since children are guided by their parents' advice and opinions."

Several practical exercises were also scheduled for the Scientific School. One of them was carried out by a junior researcher at VBLHEP Nikita Lashmanov. Its topic was "Physics in a smartphone". "The idea is that physics experiments can be implemented not only on major facilities, but also using a smartphone," Nikita commented. "Today, smartphones provide a low-barrier entry point into experimental research. It's a familiar gadget, always at hand. And it turns out, it can be used in slightly different ways."

The practical lesson included several experiments across various areas of physics, magnetic and optical measurements, distance determination and the conversion of a phone into a microscope.

The experiments involved attachments such as a clip-on microscope and a thermal camera that records thermal radiation. A mobile app was also used to control the phone's built-in sensors. All of this is accessible to anyone.

Children can today apply the theoretical material they learn in the School to practical applications, designing and carrying out experiments, literally sitting at home or outside with friends.

Our students were interested. They asked questions and downloaded the app themselves. We are delighted and our UC will go on developing this area. Children's focus decreases and we therefore work to maintain this focus, thinking about how to engage them in science so that they can pursue their future investigations and development with interest."

One of the most emotional moments was a visit to the Green Laboratory at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, where the junior researcher Alexander Antoshkin showed the NOvA experiment's Remote Control Centre. "Several monitors display various parameters of the detectors and data storage. This device is necessary for continuous monitoring of the stability of the operation. The children asked about the individual windows on the monitors, about how shifts operate and about any interesting cases," Alexander Antoshkin said. "Afterwards, we went to a dark room with compensation for the Earth's magnetic field. It's practically completely dark and special wires (Helmholtz coils) can compensate for the Earth's magnetic field. We test large vacuum photomultipliers there. At the same time, on a separate table, we develop a device for monitoring human tissue using a laser."

Afterwards, I showed the schoolchildren magnetic levitation. We have a special ceramic plate that can superconduct at temperatures higher than liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees Celsius). We immersed the plate in a bath, placed a plastic holder on it and placed a neodymium magnet on top. Then, we poured liquid nitrogen into the bath and waited until the ceramic had cooled sufficiently. After that, I removed the plastic holder, but the magnet remained "floating". The children were delighted! They tried lifting the magnet from the bath, the ceramic rose up after it, "clinging" to the air. They also tried eddy currents: they quickly moved the magnet near aluminum and copper and felt strong resistance. After the experiments, I removed the ceramic and magnet and poured the nitrogen onto the floor in the centre of the room. It quickly "spread" across the room and evaporated. It evoked a lot of emotion in my audience.

A special highlight was the national meeting with JINR colleagues from Egypt, held in Arabic on the final day of the trip. Researchers shared their work experiences, sparking interest in scientific work among their young compatriots. The final ritual included the awarding of certificates and souvenirs to all participants and of course, a group photo.

The School participants shared their impressions. We asked them two questions: what they enjoyed about the trip and what their dream profession was.

Kerolos Melad, 15: "I really enjoyed being here at JINR, especially in the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions because I'm interested in superheavy elements and how they're produced. I was also amazed by the exhibition that describes all of JINR's facilities and where virtual reality is used to demonstrate and inspect the equipment in more detail. I'd also like to thank all the specialists that helped us get to know this place better... I'd actually like to become a doctor, since my dream is to live in a world where there's a cure for every disease and to discover new medical approaches that will help diagnosing and treating every patient in the world."

Adam Mohamed, 15: "I really enjoyed everyone who helped or lectured during my time in Dubna. Everyone was so kind and friendly. I loved the Green Laboratory and the darkroom with Dr. Alexander Antoshkin. His lecture topics were very interesting and he carried out engaging experiments. I was lucky enough to see the accelerator in person and to visit the lyceum, where I could meet students my age that was incredibly fun. My dream is to become a data scientist or most likely, a theoretical physicist. I already study a little of both. Honestly, visiting JINR was really cool and very interesting."

Ahmed Elmedani, 14: "I was deeply impressed by the trip to Moscow, where the architecture is simply incredible. The people are welcoming and very kind. The laboratories in Dubna were really interesting; we carried out several experiments and it was awesome! And the place itself is very beautiful. At first, I wanted to become a pilot because I want to be able to fly. But now, that I've been here, I might think about changing my career."

We would like to thank a methodologist at the UC Dina Volkova for her assistance in preparing this article.

Maria KARPOVA, photo by Igor LAPENKO