Most of our outreach is conducted in collaboration with either the universities of the
Cockcroft Institute or Daresbury Laboratory's own
public engagement team. Events and activities target all age ranges and abilities; from bringing science to the massed public at festivals, to school visits to Daresbury Laboratory.
Outreach for schools
We regularly welcome school visits to our campus at Daresbury Laboratory for a variety of educational events throughout the year. The flagship event within ASTeC is our annual particle physics masterclass held every March. This event sees 250 GCSE and A-level students visit our laboratory over 3 days for an innovative and educational programme of tours, talks, demonstrations, and activities.
Our outreach for schools is very well received by both students and teachers, with a student present at our most recent masterclass commenting:
“Overall, the day was very fulfilling and enjoyable. We've all gained a new scope of particle physics knowledge to take with us on our post-16 education choices and onward to university."
For additional information on schools visits please
click here or email
public.engagement.dl@stfc.ac.uk.
Outreach for the general public
STFC is committed to sharing our work with the public and inspiring budding young scientists and engineers to become the future of UK Science. As developers of some of the world’s most impressive “big science” machines, ASTeC takes a leading role in showcasing STFC’s world leading scientific research.
Our general public engagement takes many forms and is often in conjunction with other STFC departments. We welcome a variety of audiences from young children to interested adults at Daresbury Laboratory for our regular “Talking Science” lectures and events, as well as public access days where sections of the laboratory (or even the entire campus!) are opened to the visiting public. We can also be found at national and regional events including the North-west Big Bang Fair, the OYE festival in Liverpool, and the Blue Dot Festival at nearby Jodrell Bank.
For additional information on our public outreach, including registering for our “Talking Science” events and public access days, please
click here or email
public.engagement.dl@stfc.ac.uk. More information can also be found on STFC and ASTeC’s social media channels.
Our work experience programme
As part of our mission to inspire young scientists and engineers to become the future of UK Science, ASTeC is proud to host a highly successful annual work experience programme. This scheme offers individual placements, typically for one week during the summer, to students between years 10 and 13 who are high achievers in science.
We offer two types of work experience: Traditional individual placements where a student is paired with a supervising member of staff, and a 1 week group placement where a group of students works together with a various specialist groups within ASTeC to receive a “crash course” in accelerator physics.
For additional information on applying for a work experience placement within ASTeC, please
click here or email
dlworkexp@stfc.ac.uk.
Please note that due to high levels of interest in these placements and the limited number that we can support, positions are allocated through a competitive process. All placements involving students under 18 are conducted in strict accordance with STFC’s young person safeguarding policy and are extensively risk assessed. The age of the student will affect the work that they may undertake, with students under 16 being prevented by law from undertaking any practical work within our designated radiation test facility areas (which includes our particle accelerators).
