Highlights from evaluation of the Big Bang exhibition

Thursday 4th June11.30-13.00Jo Quinton-TullochHead of Exhibitions and GalleriesScience Museum, London

Particle physics outreach in science centres and museums

Big Bang at the Science Museum, London

Underlying physics is hugely challenging…

• Recognised the vocabulary• Interested in anti-matter and dark

matter• But Higgs Boson and mass too difficult

Challenges

CERN – a triumph of international cooperation and scientific endeavour but…

not considered unusual or unique

Challenges

Not hugely impressed by scale of operations…

• Assume scientists just do this sort of thing

• Little sense of awe

Challenges

Critical of decision to run the exhibition before there were any results to report…

felt that the exhibition was only reporting half the story

Challenges

Not heard of CERN by that name

Large Hadron Collider is an unfamiliar term…

… difficult to remember

Challenges

Stopping the beam…

how can such a small piece of graphite stop a stream of particles?

Also released insecurities

Most interested in

• People allured by the mysteries surrounding dark matter, anti-matter, Big Bang

• Basic idea of smashing particles together and splitting off fragments is a simple idea – people get it

• People feel a sense of privilege at being shown science’s leading edge

Future campaigns

• Fragmented understanding and confusion leads to mistrust and anxiety

• How far do their concerns need to be met head on:– Will it do more harm than good?– Will it create another Big Bang?

• Want to see tangible benefits for the modern world

Future campaigns

Particle physics outreach in science centres and museums

Jo Quinton-TullochHead of Exhibitions and GalleriesScience Museum, London