{"id":2421,"date":"2021-09-03T04:55:12","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T04:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/?page_id=2421"},"modified":"2025-11-07T14:53:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T06:53:55","slug":"physics-astronomy-high-schools","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/stem-outreach\/stem-for-schools\/physics-astronomy-high-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Physics and Astronomy for high schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n \n \n
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Button block<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n Learn more about Physics and Astronomy at Curtin<\/a> <\/mimas-block>\n\n\n\n \n
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Physics research experience<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n

Physics Research Experience @Curtin, runs each year during the final weeks of November. A group of year-11 and year-10 students spend three hours per day over a week engaging in a range of Physics research workshops. In the five workshops students will learn about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Quantum collisions: \u00a0<\/strong>collisions on the atomic scale and their applications. They will also learn how to use supercomputers to run their own calculations of quantum collisions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Materials physics:\u00a0<\/strong>materials from the atoms up and how these insights enable the energy transition. They will learn how to construct and visualise atomic structures on the computer and use quantum theory to predict the properties, as well as some hands-on activities making battery materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Radio astronomy:\u00a0<\/strong>our universe and how we are building the largest radio telescope in the world here in WA.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Microscopy:<\/strong> how physicists at the John de Laeter Centre use electron microscopy to reveal the structure and chemistry of materials at the nanoscale. Participants will gain hands-on experience with a scanning electron microscope, unlocking a view of the world at a scale they\u2019ve never seen before. This demonstration builds on the Inspire STEM outreach program<\/a>, where a benchtop scanning electron microscope is taken to schools, giving students the opportunity to operate the instrument themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Mathematics enrichment:<\/strong> learn about optimisation, linear algebra, analysis and geometry.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Logistics:<\/strong> We run two workshops per day of ~24 students per workshop. Hence, the maximum number of students we can take is 48. To keep the numbers manageable, we ask that preference be given to year-11s ahead of year-10s (who will get another go next year), and to students who have committed to Physics ATAR, Maths Methods ATAR, and (ideally) Maths Specialist ATAR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you are interested, please send an email to Igor Bray<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n

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    Talks and incursions<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n

    The Physics and Astronomy staff at Curtin University are available to present on the below topics at your school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To arrange a time for a staff member to visit your school, please click on the staff members name to visit their respective profile for their email address. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n

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    Igor Bray, John Curtin Distinguished Professor<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n The physics of life, universe and everything<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n Careers with a physics degree<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n Atomic and molecular collisions: what are they and what are they good for?<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n

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    Jacob Martin, Lecturer<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n Nanoverse: the quantum world<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n Physics of the energy transition<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n Physics of fire: candles to green technology<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n Carbon Nanoverse: from diamonds to batteries<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n

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    James Miller-Jones, Professor<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n Black holes: the amazing power of gravity<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n

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    Natasha Hurley-Walker, Associate Professor<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n Mysterious signals in the milky way<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n

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    Andrew Williams, Instrument Engineer M&C<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n\n<\/mimas-block>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n \n \n Discovering planets from perth<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n The guts of a radio telescope<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n \n \n Building and racing a solar car from Darwin to Adelaide<\/strong><\/span>\n <\/span>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Physics Research Experience @Curtin, runs each year during the final weeks of November. A group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":12569,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2421","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2421"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16751,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2421\/revisions\/16751"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}