Possible Cooperation between IPPOG and the HOPE Project Introduced by Pete Watkins, Birmingham on behalf of Gareth Jones, Imperial College London, representing HOPE

What is HOPE? Horizons in Physics Education Network of 65 European Universities, 6 research organisations and 10 associated partners. Includes CERN, IOP, EPS. A Three Year Project starting from Oct 2013 coordinated by UMPC Paris. Partly Funded by European Commission in its Lifelong Learning Programme – Academic Networks. Follow-on Project initiated by EUPEN network which has a long history of successful projects in physics higher education. (most recent project STEPS TWO ) 4 Working Groups – WG1: Inspiring Young People to Study Physics; WG2: Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship; WG3: Global challenges in teaching Higher Education Physics; WG4: Training & supply of physics teachers. Preliminary website just created

WG1 – Inspiring Young People to Study Physics AIMS: To improve appreciation of physics and uptake of physics studies. OBJECTIVES: To investigate and report on the factors that influence young people to choose to study physics – the influence of the media, – individuals (teachers, parents, …), – outreach programmes of universities and research organisations, – young people’s perception of how physics explains the world around them and answers their deep questions, – economic factors (jobs, salaries, careers, …)

Methodology Gathering information on national trends on uptake of physics in schools and universities. Survey of academics and students in member universities – ‘Why I chose physics’. Survey of various outreach and media projects. Interviews of some key people, e.g. media. Cooperation with other groups – e.g. IPPOG Special attention to under-represented groups, e.g. women, ethnic minorities.

Suggestions for Cooperation with IPPOG Particle physics is known to be a key driver of young peoples’ interest in physics so we overlap. Exchange of information, e.g. … – Lists of active PP outreach projects in Europe – Indications of impact – Personal discussions on methodology, problems etc. Information from HOPE to IPPOG on what we find. Informal and flexible cooperation – Main 1 st Steps: make contact, lists of IPPOG projects.