In the south pole there is a massive particle detector buried under the ice. It’s a kilometer wide and 2 kilometer deep (.6 miles by 1.2 miles), with 80 strips of 60 viewers. Each viewer (called a dom) looks for rare streaks of light caused by a particle called a Neutrino. Most neutrinos pass straight through the ice (and all other objects) but on the slim chance it interacts with the water molecules, it impacts an atom and causes a release of photons. Since neutrinos are not affected by gravity, magnetic fields, and are rarely affected by matter, it is easy to track their trajectory, and give as a more comprehensive map of the universe.
Now was that so hard?
While there is a massive amount of math and technicalities behind that explanation, but a layperson can walk away with a general understanding of why there’s a giant lab in the frigid and dark south pole. It may seem rudimentary, but so many high level physicists can’t seem to understand why the phrase galactic astrophysical neutrinos is a daunting set of words. When a scientist can’t properly interact with the public it drastically decreases the impact of their work and can greatly reduce the funding available to them.
A hidden factor is the ability to communicate a scientific message to children. While it has no impact on an experiment’s bottom line, without some interest from a new generation of workers, a project can’t be passed down. Engaging a level of interest is not only good for sparking a child’s curiosity, but necessary in maintaining a scientific study.
But how do we go about it? Surely it’s not as simple as explaining a concept to an adult? Well, in reality, it requires retooling language, and using a concrete system to outline demonstrations (demos for short). IceCube for instance, has 2 major demos, an ice drilling demo, and a scale model of the whole detector. Both of these not only require proper technical operation, but require an understanding of how presentations resonate and how to use the properties of the demo to presenter advantage.
Doctor Patrick Morgan created a wonderful way of classifying and categorizing demos in order to make the largest impact on a audience. Scientists working through this framework have a key way to present key concepts in addition to being entertaining.
Let’s work through this model with the IceCube model (pictured below)
A basic description: This model is a to scale model of the detector. Each string of LED lights represents a detector, the color of light represents the time of energy detection. It’s a rather tame demo, which is why it’s so important to explore the outline.
0th This is a Stage demo, not one that people touch.
1st This demo requires no safety equipment or formal training, so it is staff or volunteer
2nd This is in between inquiry and lecture, depending on the type of the event
3rd The best way to present this demo is with wonder, by emphasizing size and scale of the detector
4th The novelty of this demo is that it’s built by high schoolers, while not the best source of novelty, it gets the job done
Through this outlined demo the key concepts of ice cube are conveyed, as well as memorable. The quickfire lecture structure can engage future scientists and secure the future of the IceCube experiment.
Cold Critical 