With a dream of science

Recently, a schoolboy from Yekaterinburg, Alexander, has visited JINR. The circumstances of his visit to Dubna are not quite ordinary…

Sasha is 10 years old, he suffers from diabetes, is insulin-dependent and is homeschooled. The boy is seriously interested in the exact sciences: physics, astronomy, mathematics. And today, his knowledge of these and other subjects goes far beyond the school curriculum. Sasha watches popular science films and closely follows current scientific projects. And so, at the New Year's "Wish Tree", the boy made a wish to visit our Institute, the museum and meet Dubna scientists in person. Sasha's ticket turned out to be a winner. The "Lisichka" charity foundation helped with the financial side and the museum staff prepared an interesting educational programme for him.

The Institute made a huge impression on Sasha and his family members. The museum staff organized and conducted a series of thematic excursions for guests: our museum, the interactive exhibition "Basic facilities of JINR" in the Cultural Centre "Mir", an educational walk through the streets and parks of the Institutskaya part of the city and stories about outstanding scientists. In the museum, the student's special attention was attracted by the prototype of the synchrophasotron (the history of which he knew well before arriving in Dubna), a stereo magnifier for viewing particle tracks and an exhibition on the synthesis of superheavy elements. He carried out physical experiments in the Classroom laboratory with great interest and scientific passion.

The boy also met, as he had hoped, a real scientist - Head of the JINR Neutrino Programme, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences D.V.Naumov. He told him about unique projects related to neutrino research. And today, Sasha's home library has been replenished with the popular science book "Solar Neutrino" with Dmitry Vadimovich's autograph and parting words to follow his dream of becoming a scientist.

"My grandmother and I would like to express our deep gratitude to the entire staff of your museum," the boy's mother says, "for making Sasha's dream come true to visit the Museum of History of Science and Technology of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. Sasha decided to be engaged in science and to become a nuclear physicist (atomist), to discover new elements and to find an application for superheavy elements of the Periodic Table to develop new drugs. For the New Year, Sasha made a wish to Father Christmas to visit the science city of Dubna and to take part in laboratory research. And his dream has come true! Sasha visited the museum, learnt about the prototypes of the synchrophasotron, synchrocyclotron, took part in laboratory research, visited an interactive exhibition, talked to Professor D.V.Naumov."

(Own information)