Sydney teacher, Paul Looyen, Coffs Harbour’s Chris Bormann and Rachel Alison Schnitzerling from Brisbane
Two science teachers from NSW have been selected to join an international High School Teacher program at the European physics research laboratory CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) on the border of France and Switzerland near Geneva.
The pair from NSW are among only three teachers from Australia who will join others from across the globe.
Chief Executive at ANSTO, Adi Paterson, said all three teachers should be very proud to be accepted into the program.
Dr Paterson said the teachers – Sydney’s Paul Looyen and Coffs Harbour’s Chris Bormann as well as Brisbane’s (QLD) Rachel Alison Schnitzerling – were selected by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the Australian Science Teachers Association, (ASTA) to attend the program.
He said access to the program followed funding from ANSTO and ASTA.
“The program will bring together teachers from across the globe, to participate in lectures, on-site visits, hands-on workshops and Q&A-sessions, to discuss how to bring physics into the classroom,” Dr Paterson said.
“Each of these teachers are set to gain extraordinary insight into how to bring modern physics into the classroom,” he said.
“By participating in this incredible program, Aussie science classrooms right around the country are set to benefit from the wisdom and training these teachers will be exposed to.”
Dr Paterson said CERN was a world-renowned facility on the frontier of nuclear physics research and home to particle accelerator the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Sydney teacher Paul Looyen, said the opportunity to learn first hand from the experts, would translate to better teaching in the classroom.
“Science isn’t about learning facts, it’s about exploring the frontiers of our understanding of the world we live in and doing it in a way that shows integrity,” Mr Looyen said.
“As I share my experiences, I hope it encourages my students to develop a love for science and it provides them with the tools to investigate their own scientific questions.”
