Sydney Science Festival 2016 at the Powerhouse

Sydney Science Festival 2016 at the Powerhouse

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest particle accelerator – 27km in circumference. It was built in an attempt to prove the existence of the Higgs boson – a theorised particle that, put simply, explains the existence of everything in the Universe. The LHC effectively recreates the moment one billionth of a second after “the Big Bang” in which this particle was meant to have formed. And that’s why it’s the world’s greatest science experiment.

Collider is an exhibition of the LHC that will feature at the Powerhouse Museum as part of the Sydney Science Festival. Dr Alan Duffy, a Melbourne scientist and one of the thousands of scientists and engineers involved in the LHC project, will give a talk explaining the experiment and describing his experience.

Duffy is a science communicator and is passionate about sharing discoveries and new knowledge with the general public.

“Part of the role of science today is to remind people of this incredible world that is a little bit outside their everyday experience but intimately connected with their everyday lives,” said Duffy.

The exhibition uses video, light and theatrical elements and includes artefacts from the collider itself. Duffy believes that using art and theatre can help make the complex and dry information more palatable and easier to understand. “…It’s a perfect blend of art and science, so that it is an enthralling and engaging experience…”

The exhibition will appeal to people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of knowledge, and Duffy encourages everyone should come because “it’s fundamentally cool stuff”. (RB)

Collider
Aug 6–Oct 30. Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo. $5-$20 (family $45). 

The World’s Greatest Experiment: A talk by Dr Alan Duffy
Aug 12, 6.30–8.30pm. Powerhouse Museum. $10-$25.

Info: www.sydneyscience.com.au

BY RITA BRATOVICH

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