Recent Press Releases
Particle physics is not just black holes and antimatter
Institute of Physics Press Release
PR22 (09)
Thu, 28 May 2009
Particle physics saves lives, connects continents through new channels of communication, helps us understand the world around us and inspires tomorrow’s leaders.
While the perils associated with particle physics, from Earth-gobbling black holes to Vatican-destroying amounts of antimatter, gain news headlines, it’s easy to overlook the large economic and societal benefits of particle physics research.
The technology designed and engineered for paradigm-shifting experiments, such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, is some of the most advanced in the world and as particle physics technology moves forward so technology for industries as varied as biotechnology, energy and communications also rapidly progresses.
The Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) are today, Thursday, 28 May, launching a new report, ‘Particle physics – it matters’ to introduce a wider audience to the economic and societal benefits of particle physics research.
Tajinder Panesor, manager, science policy at the Institute of Physics, said, “Many more people are now familiar with the ‘Big Bang’ machine and the hunt for the ‘God’ particle but we feel that there are still some questions around why so much effort is expended on this type of activity.
“We want everyone logging onto the Web or going to the hospital for a scan to know that what they’re experiencing has only been made possible through particle physics research.”
The new report lays out how particle physics benefits the UK’s economy and its society through healthcare and communication spin-offs and how it provides British industry with world-leading technology, while also helping us address global challenges.
The report includes results from an exclusive survey which asked more than 800 physics undergraduates from eight of the UK’s leading university physics departments what it was that inspired them to study physics.
An independent report compiled for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, The Demand for STEM Graduates, states that the UK will need almost one million more STEM graduates by 2017, doubling the number of STEM graduates produced each year, if we are to face off the economic, energy and environment-related challenges that we currently face. It is therefore significant that the three subjects that most attracted first year undergraduates to study physics, with nine of every 10 first year undergraduates responding so, are quantum phenomena, nuclear physics and astrophysics, all of which fall under the umbrella of or are closely associated with particle physics.
The report summarises research being undertaken by particle physicists at the furthest frontiers of basic science: understanding mass; looking for antimatter; detecting dark matter; and grasping further spatial dimensions, but for every explicit moment of success in these bold adventures, hundreds of other advances are made that touch our lives in ways most don’t consider.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Contact
1. For further information, a copy of the report or contact with one of many particle physicists undertaking the kind of research highlighted in the report, contact IOP Press Officer, Joe Winters:
Tel: 020 7470 4815
Mobile: 07946 321473
E-mail: joseph.winters@iop.org
Particle physics – it matters
2. The new report launched today, Thursday, 28 May, Particle physics – it matters, contains the future research prospects of UK engagement in international particle physics. The report, drafted by the Institute of Physics (IOP)’s high-energy physics group, focuses on the social and economic impacts that benefit the UK, hoping to demonstrate why commitment to current and long-term international research programmes is important. The report was joint-funded by IOP and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
The Institute of Physics
3. The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently around 34 000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics. Go to www.iop.org.
Science and Technology Facilities Council
4. The Science and Technology Facilities Council ensures the UK retains its leading place on the world stage by delivering world-class science; accessing and hosting international facilities; developing innovative technologies; and increasing the socio-economic impact of its research through effective knowledge exchange.
The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy, Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science, Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. In addition the Council manages and operates three internationally renowned laboratories:
- The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire
- The Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire
- The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh
The Council gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the European Space Agency (ESA). It also funds UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.
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