at FSU

A collaboration between university physics professors and science teachers


About Quarknet

QuarkNet is an educational program sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy whose aim is to support science education in schools by establishing a nation-wide science teacher network. It provides opportunities for school science teachers to learn firsthand about frontline physics research in universities, and establish mentor relationships between science teachers and physics professors at universities.

Since 1999, QuarkNet has established several new centers each year in universities and laboratories participating in hadron collider experiments at CERN in Switzerland, and Fermilab and SLAC in the US. There are now fifty-three centers which are associated with research groups at universities and labs across the U.S.


About Quarknet at FSU

The Physics Department at FSU was one of the twelve sites selected in the first year (1999) of Quarknet. The first two high school science teachers from Leon County who participated in this program starting in summer 1999 were Lance King (then at Lincoln HS) and Brian McClain (then at Godby HS).

We support teachers to include more "modern" (20th and 21st century) physics in their curriculum and we want to to make a focused effort to help interested teachers to acquire better understanding of modern physics so that they would feel more comfortable presenting such topics in the classroom. To achieve this goal, we:

  • hold monthly meetings during the school year including lectures, sharing lesson ideas, and visits to local labs
  • offer summer workshops


Get involved

There's no membership fee. If you'd like to be involved in our activities or have any questions or comments, send us an email. The present lead teachers are:
Brian McClain (Lincoln HS) e-mail
Jasun Burdick (Sail HS) e-mail
Jacob Breman (Community Christian School) e-mail
The FSU Quarknet mentors are Horst Wahl e-mail and Ted Kolberg e-mail

Check out some of these Interesting Websites if you want to learn more about this program, particle physics, or physics in general.

QuarkNet Main Site (at Fermilab)
FSU HEP group page
FSU Physics home page
Florida State University home page

Recent Workshops:

QuarkNet workshop at FSU, Summer 2018
QuarkNet workshop at FSU, Summer 2017
QuarkNet workshop at FSU, Summer 2016
QuarkNet workshop at FSU, Summer 2015
QuarkNet workshop at FSU, Summer 2014