Over 200 students across 18 institutions in Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, and the United States participated in the twelfth annual edition of IceCube Masterclass. The masterclasses were held between the months of March and May, with the Institute of Physics (IOP) in India and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, hosting masterclasses for the first time.
Since 2014, the program has exposed high school students—mostly sophomore level and up—to research careers in astrophysics and IceCube science. Each host institution provides a day full of hands-on activities and lectures, including analysis of real IceCube data, lunch with IceCube researchers, and a webcast with researchers at the South Pole.
The IOP hosted their first IceCube Masterclass, which was attended by 50 participants and included a day of talks by IceCube scientists. Each participant received a kit containing a pen, notebook, sticker, postcard, information on neutrinos, a pamphlet on IceCube, and an IceCube badge.
Once again, the University of Mainz hosted a masterclass with 20 participants this year. Participants built a cloud chamber, classified neutrino events, and did a joint video call to the South Pole with the University of FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Building on their inaugural masterclass from last year, Queen’s University in Canada hosted 14 students in person for a day of talks and activities, including a scavenger hunt.
In the United States, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology hosted 30 students from South Dakota and Wyoming. The students used a newly developed machine learning cosmic ray module and were treated to a special lecture by IceCube scientist Larissa Paul, who had just returned from the South Pole after helping with the IceCube Upgrade and IceAct deployment.
Elsewhere, the University of Utah held another successful masterclass that hosted 43 students from eight different high schools. The event began with a welcome and introductory session, followed by a video call with researchers at the South Pole, a cosmic ray reconstruction activity, and a rotation of interactive stations.
This year, Michigan State University hosted 33 students and 10 teachers across the Genesee and Lapeer Counties, with the participants reporting that they were highly satisfied with the program.
The Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC) also hosted an in-person program this year. The high school students talked to IceCube graduate students, heard from researchers at the South Pole, and worked through example analyses to end the day.
“The IceCube Masterclass is a wonderful event where students get to experience, in one day, what it’s like to be a scientist,” says Ellen Bechtol, outreach program manager at WIPAC who helps organize the IceCube Masterclass every year. “Our fantastic IceCube collaborators make this event special each year, and we are lucky to be continually improving the experience through new host sites, new analysis activities, and new language translations.”
