Meridians of cooperation

First school for Belarus teachers

From 2 to 6 December 2024, JINR hosted the first scientific school for teachers of the Republic of Belarus. 16 physics teachers of engineering classes got acquainted with the research and facilities of the Institute and gained new knowledge that they can apply in their lessons.

The school started with a traditional greeting from University Centre Director Dmitry Kamanin, who drew the attention of the guests to the unique features of the Dubna science city and highlighted the research areas in which JINR is a world leader. The introduction to the Institute continued at the JINR Main Facilities exhibition and at the Museum of History of Science and Technology. In the Blokhintsev Universal Public Library, the teachers learned about popular science and educational projects implemented by employees and volunteers. Then, the participants learn about the history and cultural features of the city through a quest on its streets.

Yuri Panebrattsev, Natalia Vorontsova, and Ivan Lomachenkov spoke about their new in-depth educational and methodological complex “Physics 7-9. Engineers of the future”, approved by the Ministry of Education of Russia, supplemented by a specialised school textbook “Nuclear physics. Grades 10-11”.

UC employees told the participants about the educational electronic resources, such as the virtual laboratory for studying nuclear physics. The teachers visited the Kadyshevsky Lyceum to meet Director Yuri Kurlapov, get acquainted with the school’s infrastructure, and take part in a workshop on practical physics classes.

The participants of the school visited the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, where they got introduced to the NOvA Experiment control room and the photomultiplier testing room. In the Laboratory of Information Technologies, the teachers got acquainted with the JINR Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex and listened to a lecture on the role of computing in modern physics. Other tours included the NICA Accelerator Complex at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics, the Superheavy Element Factory, and the Nanocentre of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions.

Head of the Human Resources and Records Management Department Alexander Verheev summed up the results of the school with the lecture “JINR and the way to big science”, giving teachers a roadmap for attracting young people to the Institute. Belarus representative, VBLHEP Group Head Elena Kokoulina spoke about her experience working with Belarus students and the opportunities that JINR offers its employees.

The school participants shared their impressions.

Elena Kurilova, School No. 9, Zhlobin:
“I enjoyed the school greatly. I am glad to be a pioneer among Belarus teachers. We have had engineering classes in our country for several years now. All of us teach physics at an advanced level in these classes. I cannot put my emotions into words, JINR truly piqued our interest. We really liked the book by the UC team, an educational and methodological complex for grades 7-9. This is a really interesting and productive work of your scientists. We were impressed by the scale of the Institute itself, having had no idea how many scientists were working on nuclear physics problems. We will come home and share this experience with our colleagues. Everyone is already waiting for us to come back with new knowledge.”

Andrey Khvalinsky, Lyceum No. 1, Baranovichi:
“Of course, I had an idea about accelerators before, such as cyclotrons and colliders, but getting to see them with my own eyes is very impressive. It is always interesting to explore how such facilities work. We have students who know nothing about nuclear physics. I feel that Belarus focuses on theoretical physics more. I have heard that our Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research – Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, closely connected with nuclear physics, is planning to expand cooperation with Dubna. I also liked the city itself, by the way.”

Konstantin Petrov, the Academy of Education of the Republic of Belarus:
“I must note that physics teachers mainly have connections within their circle, and this is a rare chance to talk to researchers who are engaged in big science. This is an exceptional opportunity for us to see the work of physics researchers in real time, at real facilities. Secondly, this school raises our level of motivation and, above all, encourages us to consider ways to popularise science and attract more children to study physics and mathematics, because this is also extremely important for us.”

Veronika Shapoval, Gymnasium No. 3, Soligorsk:
“I am a young specialist working for the company that sponsored my degree. The Department of Education offered me a trip here, promising it would be interesting. I am very glad that I came. I get a lot of useful information, especially for children. This is my second year teaching in engineering classes. The students are motivated, but we do not have such a variety of educational materials. JINR offers a notebook, a simulator, multimedia resources, and an interactive laboratory. All this is much more interesting. We have contracts with several Belarus universities for our students to have some enrolment benefits. Using the materials obtained at the school will help us in the future to prepare students to enrol in specialised universities.”

JINR UC has been holding annual schools for physics teachers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research since 2009. The purpose of the programmes is make schools closer to fundamental science and promote the popularisation of modern scientific knowledge among wide audience.

The UC team plans to conduct schools for teachers from the JINR Member States, with some held in English. In February, JINR is set to hold the first Teacher of the Future school for students selected by the Institute’s Information Centres in Russia. In addition, scientific and practical schools and seminars for teachers will be introduced at the Information Centres.

Based on the information from the JINR Press Office