Three Riverina schools join dark matter program

Existing partner school, Stawell Secondary College in Victoria

Three schools in the Riverina region are the first in New South Wales to participate in an innovative program introducing students to dark matter.

Wagga Wagga High School, Kooringal High School, and West Wyalong High School will join the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) Partner Schools Program from Monday, May 27.

The program aims to nurture an interest in science among students at schools traditionally under-served by science education programs.

Physicists and educators will start by leading activities with Year 7 students and senior physics students in the first year. In the second year, the lessons expand to students in Year 8 in addition to new Year 7s, maintaining a consistent relationship with cohorts as they move through the school.

The lessons will provide students with access to physicists and physics educators, who will introduce students to dark matter-related physics including gravitation, galaxies and the Standard Model, as well as broader topics such as scientific enquiry, experimental investigations and the evolution of scientific understanding.

CDM postdoctoral researcher Zuzana Slavkovska said the program aimed to offer students access to world-class scientists and the latest scientific knowledge.

“The Partner Schools Program provides students in regional and rural areas with opportunities to learn about exciting physics concepts like dark matter and meet physicists involved in world-leading dark matter research,” Dr Slavkovska said.

“By introducing students to concepts like dark matter, we hope to show them how exciting and inspiring science can be.

“As a woman working in physics, I know how important it can be to see people like me working in the field and to understand that scientists are not just men in white coats working in a laboratory.

“Ultimately, we want to show them that science is a career pathway that is available to everyone, regardless of whether they live in a major city or a small country town.”

The Riverina students will join Victorian schools in Stawell, Warrnambool, Ararat and Hamilton in the program.

The program was introduced to Stawell Secondary College in 2021, coinciding with the construction of the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory, which will host the first underground dark matter experiment in the Southern Hemisphere, the SABRE South experiment.

“Our researchers are helping to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the universe and we want Riverina students to be part of the excitement of the search for dark matter.

“Science is not confined to a laboratory; scientists might spend their time 1km underground performing exciting hands on work – we want students to see and be inspired by this reality of modern science.”

For interviews and details of the exact days and times we will be at each school, contact: Fleur Morrison | 0421 118 233 | fleur.morrison@unimelb.edu.au