The Extreme-Energy Events (EEE) Experiment is a cosmic ray observatory based on a networkof detecting stations distributed over the Italian territory and at CERN. A station of the network,called “telescope”, consists of three superimposed Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs),each one covering a surface of about 1.5푚2, used with the same technology as the time-of-flightdetector of the ALICE experiment at CERN-LHC. Data are collected and sent in real time tothe INFN-CNAF computer center for reconstruction and analysis. The large area covered bythe network, ranging from Southern Italy up to the CERN laboratories, was achieved with thedecision to install the detectors inside high schools, involving students and teachers in a modernexperiment within a unique program. This very coexistence of scientific activity and outreachrepresents the uniqueness of the EEE Project. The outreach programme is articulated in severalinitiatives, each encoding the different aspects of the research activity normally expected in a high-energy physics experiment. Students are involved in detector construction at CERN, installation inschool, and in the commissioning of the station when data taking starts. Once the detector reachesa steady working regime, students are requested to monitor on a daily basis the performanceof the telescope and report any failure. In parallel to the hardware-related operations, studentslearn how to perform the analysis of EEE data under the supervision of their teachers and of theEEE researchers, supporting the scientific output of the experiment. Every month students reportprogress and issues in a dedicated online meeting open to all schools and to the EEE researchers.Beside this monthly appointment, in the pre-COVID era an in-person meeting was taking placetwice per year, hosted by theEttore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific CultureinErice or by a school or institution involved in the project. During a three-day, students attendmasterclasses and take part in measurement campaigns, disseminating their results by submittingcontributions to important outreach-oriented journals (such as the ItalianGiornale di Fisica).

The Extreme-Energy Events Project: a bridge between school and professional research

Baldini, L.;Batignani, G.;Bossini, E.;
2021-01-01

Abstract

The Extreme-Energy Events (EEE) Experiment is a cosmic ray observatory based on a networkof detecting stations distributed over the Italian territory and at CERN. A station of the network,called “telescope”, consists of three superimposed Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs),each one covering a surface of about 1.5푚2, used with the same technology as the time-of-flightdetector of the ALICE experiment at CERN-LHC. Data are collected and sent in real time tothe INFN-CNAF computer center for reconstruction and analysis. The large area covered bythe network, ranging from Southern Italy up to the CERN laboratories, was achieved with thedecision to install the detectors inside high schools, involving students and teachers in a modernexperiment within a unique program. This very coexistence of scientific activity and outreachrepresents the uniqueness of the EEE Project. The outreach programme is articulated in severalinitiatives, each encoding the different aspects of the research activity normally expected in a high-energy physics experiment. Students are involved in detector construction at CERN, installation inschool, and in the commissioning of the station when data taking starts. Once the detector reachesa steady working regime, students are requested to monitor on a daily basis the performanceof the telescope and report any failure. In parallel to the hardware-related operations, studentslearn how to perform the analysis of EEE data under the supervision of their teachers and of theEEE researchers, supporting the scientific output of the experiment. Every month students reportprogress and issues in a dedicated online meeting open to all schools and to the EEE researchers.Beside this monthly appointment, in the pre-COVID era an in-person meeting was taking placetwice per year, hosted by theEttore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific CultureinErice or by a school or institution involved in the project. During a three-day, students attendmasterclasses and take part in measurement campaigns, disseminating their results by submittingcontributions to important outreach-oriented journals (such as the ItalianGiornale di Fisica).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1131632
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