We have a variety of activities and workshops available to schools that are only available at the University of Sussex campus at Falmer, on the outskirts of Brighton.
Please note:
- All our activities are free.
- We are flexible! If you have an idea for an activity not listed below, please get in touch and we will do our best to accomodate your class.
- Multiple activities can be done during a single visit (e.g. 'Solar observing' with a 'How to be an Astrophysicist' careers talk).
- We may limit the number of times that we visit a particular school per academic year (depending on size), to enable us to visit as many schools as possible.
- All our activities are suitable for Key Stage 4 and 5 (e.g. GCSE and AS/A-level/sixth-form) students.
- Please give us as much notice as possible when requesting an activity to ensure that we have enough staff available on the day. This is especially important for larger events (more than 25 students) which will require more than one member of the Department to assist.
Available activities and workshops include (scroll down for full details):
- Physics & Astronomy days
- GCSE taster events
- Work Experience Placements
- Research lab tours
- GCSE/AS/A2-level Schools Lab
- Evening star-parties
- Particle Physics Masterclass
Physics & Astronomy days
Any length; Any available date.
Your school or college are welcome to visit us here at the University of Sussex Falmer campus with any number of students, and we can mix and match activities to create a full day event tailored specifically to your needs. See our activities and talkspages for a full list of options, and we will put together a timetable for your visit.
GCSE Taster Events
3 hours; Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th & Thursday 20th of June, 2013.
Put together by the South East Physics Network (SEPnet), this is a travelling roadshow covering elements of the GCSE syllabus, including radiation and energy. For a booklet with further details, please see the SEPnet GCSE Event webpage.
Work Experience Week
Full week at the University of Sussex; 8-12 July, 2013.
The Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of Sussex holds an annual Work Experience week. Up to 6 places are available for year 10 GCSE students and preference will be given to those having a very keen interest in science. To apply, please send us a brief summary (one side of A4 maximum) of your science interests and ambitions, and your contact details for consideration. The deadline for the receipt of applications is by the end of Monday 27 May 2013, and the successful applicants will be informed within two weeks of that date.
Research lab tours
1 hour; available at any time at the University of Sussex campus.
This activity allows students to see research physics in action.
In the neutron-EDM lab (near right), researchers are trying to understand why the universe is made up of matter and not anti-matter – one of the most fundamental unanswered question in science. It may be caused by a incredibly tiny distortion in the shape of the neutron, but we will only know for sure by using this experiment to probe deep into the heart of the structure of the neutron with unprecedented accuracy.
In the AMO lab (above, far right), researchers are developing the next generation computer technology – quantum computers. They are investigating the quantum mechanical properties of light and matter, and studying individual interactions between individual photons and atoms.
GCSE/AS/A2-level Schools Lab
3-4 hours; available on Fridays only at UoS campus, check our calendar for available dates.
The University of Sussex Schools Lab programme includes a series of experiments and short talks from University researchers. The days are designed and run by David Daniels, a Visiting Research Fellow and award winning physics teacher, and are available to GCSE, AS and A-level students. Full details are available on our Schools Lab page.
Evening star-parties
4-7pm on various dates throughout the winter months at the UoS campus, check our calendar for availability.
From November through to February, we offer late-afternoon/early-evening star parties, using the Department's roof-top observatory and telescopes of various sizes. Star-parties will also be available off-campus, although only the smaller (more transportable) telescopes would be used.
In the event of a cloudy night we can either reschedule, have a planetarium show instead, or both!
Particle Physics Masterclass
Full day at the University of Sussex; 2013 dates are July 2nd for AS-level students, and July 3rd for GCSE
We hold two annual one-day Particle Physics Masterclasses in the summer, one for AS-level students, and one for for Year 10 GCSE students.
Each day encompasses a range of activities including experiments, computer simulations, talks and discussion sessions. The activities will be led by members of our Experimental Particle Physics Group and there will be opportunities to discuss the work of this group, including the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.