May 13, 2015

Science students make pilgrimage to pinnacle of physics world

Teaching student Zac Gorton poised to visit the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.   

Twenty-one-year-old Zachary Gorton (pictured above) has always had an inquisitive nature. As a child he wanted to know how everything worked – from why volcanoes erupt to how motors run. But it wasn’t until he encountered an extraordinary physics teacher in high school that his fascination for the topic really started.

After studying engineering for a year, the Campbelltown local found a way to combine his love of science with his desire to mentor the next generation of curious minds.

“For me school was always a safe place where I loved to be with my friends and teachers.  The thought of being able to be on the other side of that, creating a great environment at school for kids and the opportunity to mentor them, really connected with me.”

Now in his third year of a Bachelor of Science Education at UOW (majoring in physics), Zac has been awarded a travel scholarship from the School of Education to accompany eight students from Bulli High School to visit the largest particle physics laboratory in the world – the Large Hadron Collider.

The Large Hadron Collider at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva has already confirmed the existence of the Higgs Boson, the ‘God particle’, which is thought to give mass to other particles, and could now prove the existence of parallel universes and show that the Big Bang did not happen.

The study tour, which is organised by Head of the School of Physics, Professor Michael Lerch, who has links to CERN, endorsed by Bulli High Principal Chris Gregory and led by Deputy Principal Robyn Lang, will depart in June.

It will also include visits to a number of famous science sites in Geneva, Bern and Prague, including the Einstein Museum, the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics (Czech Technical University in Prague) and the United Nations headquarters.

Professor Ian Brown, Head of the School of Education, said the scholarship highlights UOW’s commitment to providing valuable experiences for students while strengthening the quality of teacher education in the much-needed areas of mathematics and science. 

He said it would also allow Zac to develop his professional experience as a teacher trainee, as well as keeping his Physics content and knowledge current and up to date. 

While a recent report commissioned by Australia’s Chief Scientist showed that physics, chemistry and maths directly add $145 billion to the Australian economy every year, another study showed an alarming decline in the number of high school students choosing to study chemistry, biology, physics and advanced maths in Year 12.

“I think we need to do more as educators in Australia to inspire students to take an interest in science. We need to deliver scientific material in a more tangible way so that kids are encouraged to take up further studies or even follow a career in the field,” Zac said.