Students wowed at Oxfordshire’s science event of the year

On Tuesday 25^th and Wednesday 26^th 2024, Harwell commenced its open week by welcoming over 2,000 students, ranging from primary school to sixth form.

The students had the unique opportunity to go behind the scenes and discover some of the world’s most cutting-edge research through taking part in space-themed escape rooms, hands-on arts and crafts, lectures, and interactive workshops and tours with the UK’s national laboratories operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Diamond Light Source hosted tours and workshops, guiding groups around the synchrotron and explaining how the machine functions. Younger children had the opportunity to learn about the synchrotron’s different magnets and made a beaded “magnet” bracelet to take home.  

Across the site, students also met the scientists and technicians who are responsible for the biggest breakthroughs and discoveries on the UK’s behalf that have included in recent years the Nobel prize winning work of recording gravitational waves from the collision of black holes and also the detection of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN.

The culmination of the week will be on Saturday June 29^th when Harwell opens its doors to the public. The public day is a family-friend event designed for people of all ages and backgrounds.

From those who are fascinated by space exploration, X-rays and neutrons, CERN and particle physics, supercomputing, lasers, and to anyone who is just curious to find out what goes on behind the scenes at one of the biggest scientific communities in the world.

Scientists from all around the world come to Harwell to work with the over 6,000 staff on site and use the world-leading facilities that allow them to contribute to pioneering research in health technology, clean energy, space and quantum computing.

In recent years, the campus has helped deliver on COVID vaccine research, designed and tested components for the James Webb Space Telescope, developed detectors for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and much more. 

The Harwell Campus hosts the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory operated by STFC and includes the Central Laser Facility, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, RAL Space, the Research Complex at Harwell, and Diamond Light Source.

Gianluigi Botton, CEO of Diamond Light Source said: