Abstract Modern physics deals with phenomena that often elude direct sensory perception, presenting challenges for physics education. This paper examines how intangible concepts from relativity, quantum physics, and astrophysics can be made accessible to learners across the educational spectrum. Drawing on three empirical investigations presented at the International Modern Physics & Research in Education Seminar Series (IMPRESS) symposium, we analyse diverse approaches to bridging concrete experience and abstract understanding: the introduction of modern physics to primary school students through a spiral curriculum, the development of hands-on experimental analogies for teaching about exoplanets in secondary schools, and expert strategies for conceptualising vast spatiotemporal scales in astrophysics education. Through the theoretical lens of embodied cognition, we synthesise these distinct approaches to identify common principles for supporting learners’ conceptual development of inherently abstract phenomena. Our findings suggest that carefully designed learning experiences can help students develop an understanding of modern physics concepts despite their intangible nature. These insights demonstrate both the challenge and possibility of making invisible phenomena comprehensible for learners while highlighting the value of international initiatives like IMPRESS in advancing modern physics education research and practice.

Abstract We have developed and published CERN’s online particle physics course for high-school students. The course design is grounded in educational reconstruction, cognitive load theory, and research on the nature of science, with particular attention to linguistic accuracy and model-based representations. The course was evaluated during a three-month pilot phase involving 3841 users, out of which 35% completed all chapters, and survey data showed high perceived enjoyment (89%), easiness (89%), and interest (87%). In this article, we outline the main design principles, curriculum decisions, and evaluation results, demonstrating how research-based approaches can support engagement and conceptual understanding in physics education.

Abstract Young people’s perceptions of scientists can influence their interest in science and career aspirations. Unfortunately, these perceptions may often be inaccurate and have a negative influence. This study investigated how participation in residential student camps at CERN influenced upper secondary students’ perceptions of physicists, their physics-related self-concepts and their career aspirations. Eighty students (ages 16–19) took part in the study. Students showed significant positive shifts in their perceptions of physicists, viewing them as more socially engaged and as individuals with diverse interests, including sports and varied fashion styles. Perceptions of professional competencies including creativity, confidence and teamwork also improved, as did recognition of social activities, such as supervising students, as a more central part of physicists’ work. In parallel, students reported stronger aspirations to pursue physics careers and more positive physics-related self-concepts, including increased recognition as a “physics person” by themselves and others. These findings suggest that science camps fostering direct interaction with scientists can counter stereotypes and support the development of students’ physics identities.

Abstract This paper aims to provide a basis for teachers interested in bringing modern particle detectors into their classrooms. In particular, it gives an overview of the basic principles of modern particle detectors, linking them to concepts that are already a part of the curriculum. In addition, it explains the essential detector components present in all detector systems, and how the information they provide leads to particle identification. By highlighting relevant classroom resources, this paper serves as a valuable guide for teachers seeking to include modern particle physics in their teaching, and to set it within interesting and relevant contexts.

Contemporary physics education has an immense potential to positively influence students not just in their course and career aspirations but also in their fundamental understanding of the Nature of Science. However, teachers might face a number of challenges when integrating modern physics topics into their teaching. In this chapter, we will discuss the following three challenges and opportunities in contemporary physics education: working with invisible entities, aiming for authentic experiences and interactions and evaluating ideas and designs with the target audiences. We showcase how we navigated these aspects in the development of CERN Science Gateway, a new education and outreach facility at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. Moreover, we describe the advantages of digital tools in these contexts and derive recommendations for teachers.

Abstract Modern physics is an exciting and rapidly progressing field, prompting significant shifts in how we teach physics across all educational levels. While there is broad agreement on the need to modernise physics education and support physics teachers in this transition, existing initiatives often remain scattered across different educational contexts. In response, this directions paper synthesises insights from the International Modern Physics & Research in Education Seminar Series symposium to guide the efforts of our global physics education community and to increase their impact and reach. We bring together viewpoints from the symposium’s panellists and discuss these views as visions for the future of our field, mapping out pathways for navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead. Ultimately, we hope this paper will serve as a roadmap for teachers, educators, and physicists wishing to enhance modern physics education research and practice.

Research in particle physics seems to be abstract and far away from high-school students’ daily life. Yet, research in particle physics is not only relevant for scientists but also applied in numerous fields. For example, technologies developed at CERN are used in medicine for cancer diagnostics and therapy or in cultural heritage for art authentication and restoring. These applications of particle physics may be interesting for high-school students, and thus could serve as contexts for learning activities about particle physics contents. In the framework of a PhD project in physics education research at CERN, a study examines how to foster students’ interest in particle physics by setting it in meaningful contexts. The aim of the project is to compare different contexts in order to identify the ones that are equally and highly interesting for all students. We developed an instrument to measure particle physics interest (IPPI). The items present particle physics set in different contexts. We surveyed 1049 German-speaking students aged 14 to 15 years in an online cross-cohort study. Rasch analysis revealed which contexts of particle physics were rated as more (or less) interesting by the students. For example, the most interesting context was the human body (“medical diagnostics”). Knowing the hierarchy of interesting contexts enables educators to adapt or create learning activities according to the most promising contexts.

The discovery of the Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations in 2012 concluded the longest search for a particle in the history of particle physics and was based on the largest and most complex physics experiments ever conducted, involving thousands of scientists and engineers from around the world. It provided crucial evidence for a theory developed in the 1960s that describes the existence of the invisible Brout-Englert-Higgs field and the effects of this field on the mass of elementary particles. After the discovery, the work on the theoretical prediction was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2013. This discovery provides a prime example of modern science in the making and a fantastic opportunity to discuss important aspects of Nature of Science (NoS) in the classroom. In this article, we draw connections between a) milestones in the discovery of the Higgs boson, b) important aspects of NoS, and c) hands-on activities with mystery boxes, which are an effective tool to enable students to experience elements of scientific discovery and explicitly reflect on NoS. We hope that this supports educators in bringing lively discussions about modern physics research into their classrooms.

Previous studies highlight the positive effects of science outreach labs, in particular on students' motivational variables. However, out-of-school learning is generally associated with high novelty and specific setting characteristics that can impact learning and development. Indeed, previous studies call for further research on students' perception of the learning settings to ensure the best possible use of science outreach labs. This study aims to take this call up by analyzing motivational outcomes (situational interest and self-concept) together with an unprecedented number of carefully chosen student and setting factors supposed to contribute to students' experience at science outreach labs. This study involved 509 high-school students from 13 countries who took part in a half-day hands-on session at the particle physics outreach lab S'Cool LAB at CERN and a single group longitudinal pre- and post-test research design. The results confirm that this intervention led to very high situational interest and self-concept, even for a student sample that showed higher-than-average dispositional interest and self-concept beforehand. Moreover, the initial motivational gender gap was closed after the intervention. To take the nested data into account, multilevel models were employed to study the predictive power of a set of student factors as well as students' perception of setting factors. Here, even after controlling for student factors such as their dispositional interest, support by the learning environment and educators was a crucial setting factor and was associated with especially high situational interest. Furthermore, students' cognitive preparedness and cognitive load were vital with respect to their situational self-concept. Overall, regression models account for almost 60% of the variance of both motivational outcomes. We conclude that a systematic measurement of student and setting factors together with a multilevel approach provides highly valuable information about science outreach labs and how to optimize their effectiveness.

Given the importance of fostering students' interest as a goal of physics education in meeting international science standards, empirical support for the theoretical description of the interest construct is essential. Empirical studies require the use of psychometrically sound measurement instruments. This study developed an instrument to measure students' interest in particle physics (IPPI). Drawing from previous research, we defined interest in particle physics, identified corresponding behaviours, and proposed a hierarchy of students' levels of interest in particle physics. Then, we developed the IPPI, using rating scale items that assessed the latent trait developed from our theory regarding the degree of interest in particle physics. We tested the IPPI in student think-aloud interviews and validated it in a field test on a sample comprising 99 German-speaking grade 9 students. A Rasch analysis provided evidence supporting the content, construct, statistical, and fit validity of the IPPI. We revised the hypothesised hierarchy of students' levels of interest in particle physics based on the item hierarchy revealed by the Rasch analysis. We associated each level with different contexts, such as socio-scientific issues. Knowing about these levels of interest in particle physics can help educators design their learning activities better and foster their students' interest.

CERN is currently preparing Science Gateway, a new facility for scientific education and outreach that will open in summer 2023. Besides inspirational exhibition spaces, science shows and online education activities, Science Gateway will feature educational labs for hands-on scientific experiments for diverse audiences from 5 years old. We provide an overview of the educational offer foreseen at Science Gateway including the hands-on labs, science shows and online education content. In the context of the new educational labs, a “Power of Air” hands-on activity involving 3D-printed hovercraft and toy balloons will be presented. This activity is designed to raise awareness of how engineers at CERN exploit the power of air to move 1000+ tonne detector slices by means of an air pad system.

In secondary education, cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) are often the first choice when it comes to investigating the behavior of electrically charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. While CRTs offer some advantages, mainly from a practical point of view, they are on the whole ill-suited for an inquiry-based approach since they provide very limited room for modification or hands-on experimentation. Therefore, a 3D-printable plasma electron gun has been developed, which is at the same time modular, inexpensive, and easily accessible. The main objective is to provide teachers and students with an easy-to-operate electron beam source that allows conducting experiments on beam generation, beam focusing, and beam deflection as a hands-on activity in a classroom setting. From a technical point of view, this can be achieved by substituting the hot cathode as standard electron source by a plasma cathode electron gun, which can be operated at fore-vacuum pressure and in reactive gases. We provide a proof of concept that a low-cost 3D-printed plasma electron source is feasible and that beam generation can be accomplished.

Dark matter is one of the most intriguing scientific mysteries of our time and offers exciting instructional opportunities for physics education in high schools. The topic is likely to engage and motivate students in the classroom and allows addressing open questions of the Standard Model of particle physics. Although the empirical evidence of dark matter links nicely to many standard topics of physics curricula, teachers may find it challenging to introduce the topic in their classrooms. In this article, we present a fun new approach to teach about dark matter using jelly lenses as an instructional analogy of gravitational lenses. We provide a brief overview of the history of dark matter to contextualise our presentation and discuss the instructional potential as well as limitations of the jelly lens analogy.

We have conducted a large-scale international study with high-school teachers (N=530) and high-school students (N=959) from all around the world to investigate and document what they consider as their favourite particles. We found five particles to be highly prominent in both groups, namely the Higgs boson, the neutrino, the electron, the photon and the gluon. Moreover, we did not find any significant differences with regard to the teachers’ and students’ nationality or gender. In this article, we present our findings in detail and give insight into the teachers’ and students’ justifications of why they chose a specific particle.

Spreading interest in physics is crucial for the course and career choices of high-school students. When investigating interest in physics, previous studies focused on four aspects: interesting contents, contexts, tasks, and learning environments. Overall, physics education researchers agree that when trying to catch students’ interest, context matters the most. However, previous studies did not include modern physics content areas such as particle physics. Moreover, they interpreted individual difference based on gender instead of students’ self-concept. Thus, we examined what matters when spreading interest in particle physics among 9th grade students. We adapted existing questionnaires assessing interest and self-concept to investigate a) which aspects of particle physics students are interested in and b) whether they differ in their interest profiles. We surveyed 99 German-speaking students in 9th grade using an online questionnaire. The analysis revealed that particle physics is perceived as the most interesting when presented in a context, e.g., in relation to humans and nature. This is in line with previous findings about interest in classical physics. However, contrary to classical physics, analysis suggests that particle physics is equally interesting for all students.

The ATLAS detector is the largest particle detector at the LHC and one of the most complex machines ever built. It allows precise measurements of particles emanating from proton collisions. Due to its complexity, introducing the ATLAS detector in the high-school physics classroom can be challenging. Nonetheless, we show how to use 3D printing to provide a hands-on classroom activity by constructing a functional 3D model of the toroidal ATLAS magnet system. This model can be used to discover, visualize and explain the shape of a toroidal magnetic field and to start a discussion about the role of magnetic fields in particle detectors in general.

CERN’s educational programmes offer a broad spectrum of opportunities from high-school students to professional and well experienced science teachers. In 2017 three new projects have been launched to complement these efforts. The High-School Students Internship Programme (HSSIP) offers a two-week national internship experience for students aged 16 to 19, enabling them to strengthen their understanding of science. The S’Cool LAB Summer Camp extends the S’Cool LAB offers by a two weeks residential programme enabling high-school students from around the world to experience hands-on science in an international research laboratory. The International Teacher Weeks is a two week programme that enables high-school teachers to develop further in the field of particle physics and exchange knowledge and experience among teachers from all over the world. CERN’s Physics Education Research team and its projects and programmes will be presented.