U of T Physics School Visit Program

Kapapmahchakwew Wandering Spirit School - May 2024

On May 30, 2024, high school students from the Kapapmahchakwew Wandering Spirit School attended a Physics workshop by Prof. Jason Harlow.

Bring Your Kids to Work Day at U of T - May 2024

On May 2, 2024, children from grades 5 to 9 visited the Department of Physics to attend a workshop by Prof. Ania Harlick in the first year Physics Labs. This workshop was part of their visit to the U of T campus.

Olive Grove School - October 2024

On October 29, 2024, grade 10 students from the Olive Grove School visited the Department of Physics to attend a science show hosted by graduate student Tadhg Hearne, with assistance from Jonathan Hucker. The students also toured the University as part of their visit to the campus.

Greenwood College - November 2024

On November 1, 2024, grade 12 students from the Greenwood College visited the Department for a first-year lab tour by Prof. Ania Harlick, followed by a lab tour hosted by graduate student Kiera Augusto. Students later participated in a lab activity on light-matter interactions by graduate student Joscelyn van der Veen.

Are you a high school teacher who wants to bring your class to the Department of Physics or participate in a virtual visit?

Not Quite a Lecture Series - UG Outreach

Supported by the Outreach Committee, “Not Quite a Lecture” seminar is a student-initiated and directed program that aims to promote physics and STEM education amongst high school students in the GTA. The program has grown exponentially since its outset in Fall 2023. This year, the program is launching a demo team, a group of undergraduates who will be responsible for constructing physics demonstrations to be used in classes and public events. Their progress will be used in classes and public events. Their progress will be documented and shared with their new media team, which will be providing coverage on the academic life of the whole department. The program is also introducing a new set of training workshops so that undergraduate students can further engage with the outreach program. The program's mission is to help prepare undergraduate students to give accessible talks for high school students. This year, the team is expanding the scope of the program to offer talks in physics, chemistry, and astronomy. As they prepare for a new set of visits during Reading Week, they hope it will help inspire the next generation of explorers and inventors. For more information, please contact notquitealecture.uoft@gmail.com.

Science Rendezvous

On Saturday, May 11, the Department of Physics participated in Science Rendezvous. Science Rendezvous is Canada’s largest Science Festival and is free for everyone. There were over three events across thirty cities and thousands of mind-blowing exhibits. At Physics, forty student and faculty volunteers made the event a huge success, hundreds of people came throughout the day for the variety of demonstrations, talks and tours. Demonstrations included: Spandex table – time and space model, Sound Waves & Pendulum Waves, Angry Birds, Singing Wine Glasses, 1m tall dominos, Optical illusions using Ghost Light Bulb, Real image of a Frog, Miracle Mirror, Classic Van de Graaff generator, the Superconducting Train, Chladni Plates, Levitating Magnets, Eddy Current Tubes, Homopolar Motors and more.

Tadgh Hearne, a graduate student at the Department of Physics, hosted two Science shows based on Physics and Chemistry. The two shows were attended by an audience of four hundred people from the general public visiting the University on this day.

More information here: https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/physics-at-uoft/outreach/science-rendezvous/

Doors Open

The Physics Department participated in Doors Open Toronto on May 25, 2024. Over eight hundred visitors saw the lecture hall where Good Will Hunting was filmed, as well as receiving other historical information about the McLennan Physics building. There were a variety of physics demonstrations for children, parents, and curious people of all ages. The event was organized by Professor Jason Harlow with the help of our technicians, and a number of volunteers from the Department.

The building is home to the Department of Physics, professors, researchers and students who work together on theory and experiments involving high energy particles, the atmosphere of Earth and other planets, quantum computers and more. Visitors had the opportunity to visit the 15th floor roof of the McLennan tower and look over the University campus and downtown Toronto, overlooking buildings historic, modern, and under construction. Visitors also saw the first-year undergraduate laboratories, where they can explore our teaching and learning spaces, tried some of the apparatus, and met our scientists and students.

More information on Doors Open can be found here.

Science Unlimited Summer Camp

Science Unlimited Summer Camp took place from August 12-16, 2024. Fifty high school students participated in a week of workshops hosted by Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Math, Physics and the School of the Environment. At Physics, students learned about scientific computing, various physics demos, and atmospheric science.

Students commented that they enjoyed the hands-on activities, seeing the U of T campus, and working on the design challenge with their groups. They also enjoyed meeting new people:

"Design challenge! Not only did it bring our team closer together, but it actually helped us work together better, especially under pressure and making tough decisions." – 2024 Science Unlimited Summer Camp participant.

"I learned a lot about different areas in science, which school doesn’t really expose us to. I got to see the applications of scientific theory, connect with so many incredible professors, uni students, and people my age who are so intelligent. It was nice to learn from each other, work together to build on our common passion for science to make a project together. The hands-on experience makes so much of a difference in our understanding of a topic and the university itself. Thank you!" – 2024 Science Unlimited Summer Camp participant.

We look forward to camp next year and are grateful to the departments who made this week possible.

More information on Science Unlimited can be found here: https://scienceunlimited.physics.utoronto.ca