Science Backstage – Explore How Physics Works and What Physicists Do

High school students examine how research work is carried out at the Faculty of Physics at Vienna University, which research methods are used and how scientific communities cooperate. The research groups involved in this course include quantum optics, nanostructured materials and nuclear physics/isotope research.

As a rule, the public does not know what scientists do while researching. One reason for this failure to communicate it to the public is the fact that teacher training at the university and as a consequence physics lessons at high school do not help to developed an adequate view of physics as a research discipline.

Our project tries to bridge this gap between school and research, so that the scientific community and its processes can be understood as well as the nature of science. 

In order to achieve this, we will as a first step invite high school students to come to the faculty of physics at Vienna university to explore watch and experience the research process and the various methods of research work applied by the scientific communities. The scientists involved (quantum optics, nanostructured materials and nuclear science/isotope research) will be under close scrutiny as well as actively involved in the research process.

At the end  the results will be presented by both high school students and scientists. As a result of this project, we hope for a shift in beliefs about the nature of science from all participants. This could also lead to a higher motivation to study physics.