Subatomic Physics Education and Outreach in Newfoundland

Abstract

A physics education provides students with a valuable and flexible skill set that opens doors to a wide variety of career paths, including industry, education and finance. However, Physics is almost universally unpopular in our local schools, especially among girls. This paper describes a long-term scientific and cultural outreach program we developed for youth in Newfoundland, Canada, especially rural youth, girls, and Indigenous students. We feature female and Indigenous role models, engage Indigenous storytelling, discuss a wide range of career opportunities, and emphasize a diverse set of skills required in modern science, such as cooperation and communication. As these students enter our post-secondary physics program, which is specifically developed to focus on subatomic physics and astrophysics, we engage them in research as early as their second year, making sure they are well prepared to continue at graduate schools in both theory and experiment.