Y9/10 Big Bang

Australian Synchrotron Excursion

Last week students from the Big Bang Specialism had the amazing opportunity to see the largest synchrotron (particle accelerator) in the southern hemisphere. There they learned about how the synchrotron works both by participating in experiments with magnets, light, and lasers, but also by getting up close and personal with the machinery on the ground floor of the facility. 

They also learned about some of the world-class science and research that gets conducted at the synchrotron:

• New medical imaging techniques which can see medicines working inside the body in real time
• How synchrotron radiation solved the mystery of Phar Lap’s death
• Using the highly focused radiation to take some of the highest possible resolution x-ray images of fossils
• Using targeted radiation treatment for cancer bringing some recovery times down from several weeks to just days
• Recreating a colour image of the hidden Edgar Degas painting beneath 'Portrait of a Woman', just to name a few!

Mr Harrison Whelan

Teacher