Proposal to the European Commission                                      CONCEPT

Summary of a discussion at the CERN meeting on a European high-school cosmic-ray network

Oct. 5, 2010

The discussion was attended by representatives of projects in Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and UK. 

It was agreed by all that European cooperation and coordination of high-school cosmic-ray projects is highly valuable. Existing projects are rather diverse in set-up and size. Some are dedicated mostly to outreach, others aim at teaching and education, and some have scientific ambitions as well. Therefore cooperation and coordination have to cover a broad range of activities. 

The European FP7 program calls for proposals on bridging the gap between science and education, with particular focus on teacher training. This addresses only part of the ongoing activities, and therefore it is necessary to distinguish the
desire for European cooperation from the question of support for an EU proposal. 

Asked to identify the need for specific support, the following items were mentioned (this is a selection, although there is still overlap between some items):
- the development of cheap and safe particle detectors 
- building local infrastructure (hardware, ICT, teaching facilities)
- generating support from local authorities
- construction and development of e-tools 
- datamanagement
- a PhD program for teachers 
- manpower for local activities 
- means to involve young people (physics students) in the project
- means to stimulate teacher involvement
Only some of these items can be incorporated in a EU proposal, specifically those that directly benefit teaching and teachers. However, without support for hardware and technical manpower it is not easy to see how a program could become successful. 
 
It was also debated whether it is possible or desirable to involve educational experts other than teachers. 
It is clear that educational systems in Europe vary widely, and that holds for the background of secondary school teachers as well. 

In spite of diversity of needs and opinions, there was still a mostly positive attitude to the submission of a proposal. 
As the time is short, a decision needs to be taken soon, and past proposals such as Eurocosmics could be taken as a starting point. It was judged that the support of CERN would strongly enhance the chances of such a proposal. To have a chance to succeed all participants should bring some expertise and manpower to the project. This is likely to be the main bottleneck. 

As far as cooperation outside the framework of a EU proposal is concerned, there was general support for establishing connections with the Quarknet program in the US. Their participation in the meeting was much appreciated.