High Energy Collaboration: Physics Without Frontiers in Venezuela and Colombia

ICTP’s Physics Without Frontiers program has been on the road since 2008, bringing high-energy physics masterclasses and courses to inspire and engage students in developing countries. In 2016, a joint program in Venezuela and Colombia was organized to both explore high energy physics with students and to strengthen connections between institutions in the two countries. The virtual research and learning community of CEVALE2VE was also highlighted, as a network created to stimulate and widen the physics postgraduate education and research in Venezuela and Colombia, as well as to create links with European and North American institutions.

Feedback from students was enthusiastic: many are hoping to apply to various programs to continue their high-energy physics studies.

“We had the opportunity to learn about the ATLAS and LHC research programs, about physics that is still not written in the books which is very exciting. I am motivated to learn more about CERN and apply to the CERN summer school program next year.”  — Jeinny Pérez (4th year physics undergrad, UCV)

“The experience taught us the importance of working in collaboration with other researchers in the country, as well around the world, to efficiently perform this task. At the USB the students are looking forward to repeating this fascinating experience.”  — Manuel Morgado (5th year physics undergrad, USB)

Dr. Luis Nuñez, profesor at the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), was also enthusiastic about the work done by the CEVALE2VE community, and its extension with the PWF program:

“At the Universidad Industrial de Santander Bucaramanga-Colombia, we have benefited a lot from the effort of CEVALE2VE team, with students from our emerging Astroparticle group participating in the two editions of their Particle and Detector Physics Course as well as the PWF program. From the lectures, the projects, and the interaction with the instructors we have profited from their first hand experience in detector physics and data analysis. We immediately applied these skills to several local projects, in particular our Muon Telescope to study volcanic inner structure in Colombia. Thanks to this group of enthusiastic and dedicated young researchers, our group has become very active in astroparticle field.”

 

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