1. Highlights from evaluation of the Big Bang exhibition Thursday 4 th June 11.30-13.00 Jo Quinton-Tulloch Head of Exhibitions and Galleries Science Museum, London Particle physics outreach in science centres and museums

2. Big Bang at the Science Museum, London

3. Underlying physics is hugely challenging… Recognised the vocabulary Interested in anti-matter and dark matter But Higgs Boson and mass too difficult Challenges

4. CERN – a triumph of international cooperation and scientific endeavour but… not considered unusual or unique Challenges

5. Not hugely impressed by scale of operations… Assume scientists just do this sort of thing Little sense of awe Challenges

6. Critical of decision to run the exhibition before there were any results to report… felt that the exhibition was only reporting half the story Challenges

7. Not heard of CERN by that name Large Hadron Collider is an unfamiliar term… … difficult to remember Challenges

8. Stopping the beam… how can such a small piece of graphite stop a stream of particles? Also released insecurities Most interested in

9. People allured by the mysteries surrounding dark matter, anti-matter, Big Bang Basic idea of smashing particles together and splitting off fragments is a simple idea – people get it People feel a sense of privilege at being shown science’s leading edge Future campaigns

10. Fragmented understanding and confusion leads to mistrust and anxiety How far do their concerns need to be met head on: – Will it do more harm than good? – Will it create another Big Bang? Want to see tangible benefits for the modern world Future campaigns

11. Particle physics outreach in science centres and museums Jo Quinton-Tulloch Head of Exhibitions and Galleries Science Museum, London