Infn: 139 students taking part in national physics work experience programmes at four venues

A new edition of “Stage”, the national project run by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) aimed at upper secondary school pupils, came to an end today, 26 June. A total of 139 students from various Italian regions took part, participating throughout June in activities organised by the Pavia and Ferrara branches and by the National Laboratories in Frascati (Rome) and Legnaro (Padua).

The project offered participants a hands-on introduction to physics research, featuring seminars, educational workshops and visits to scientific facilities. The topics covered ranged from theoretical physics to nuclear and particle physics, right through to the discipline’s applications in fields such as cultural heritage and medicine.

The activities took place according to different timetables at the four venues. In Pavia, the programme ran from 9 to 19 June; in Ferrara from 15 to 19 June; at the National Laboratories in Frascati from 15 to 17 June; and at the National Laboratories in Legnaro from 15 to 26 June. At each venue, students were able to gain an insight into the day-to-day work of the INFN scientific community, with a mix of training sessions, practical experiences and meetings with researchers.

The Pavia edition, entitled “TendaysPhysics4Teenagers”, was organised in collaboration with the Department of Physics at the University of Pavia and involved 52 participants. The programme combined laboratory activities, educational seminars, public outreach sessions and interactive initiatives. The programme also included visits to the research nuclear reactor at Lena (the Laboratory for Applied Nuclear Energy) and to the Ca’ del Monte Observatory in Cecima (Pavia), in the upper Oltrepò Pavese region.

In Ferrara, 40 students – both male and female – took part in a five-day programme dedicated to astrophysics and the study of the cosmos. The work placement, organised in collaboration with the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences at the University of Ferrara, included activities on particle and matter physics, theoretical physics and the applications of physics to medicine, energy and the environment.