Ms Sue Farroukh was one of only a handful of teachers to gain entry to CERN, the most famous laboratory in the world for particle physics, will be heading off to Geneva at the end of June to attend a two week International High School Program.
She explains why she wanted to attend this very prestigious program.“I applied for professional and personal reasons. As a Physics Specialist responsible for the professional development of teachers throughout SCS and a Physics teacher in my own classroom at MCE, my passion for physics motivates me to inspire both students and colleagues. I focus on making complex concepts engaging and accessible, hoping to spark a similar enthusiasm in others. Attending the HST2024 programme at CERN will be a remarkable opportunity to not only develop my personal understanding of particle physics, but to share these insights with the teachers in my immediate network and contribute to Physics curriculum development within NSW through my work with being on panels for the new Syllabus.”
Asked what she hopes to gain by attending the program, Ms Farroukh explains “I hope to gain a deeper understanding of particle Physics and strategies on how to teach this to our students – especially as it is covered in the Year 12 HSC Physics Syllabus, and an area that students struggle to grapple with – due to its complex nature. I also hope to then share these strategies and resources amongst the teachers I work with within SCS in my role as the Physics Specialist.
And for those of us who are wondering, why Physics – Ms. Farroukh will quickly tell you – “Because it’s the best! I have always liked concrete answers – it’s why I like mathematics so much; you either prove the formula, or you don’t. Physics applies mathematics to explain the entire world around us – from the way the universe works, how stars are created, to how objects move, how motors work, how we get electricity in our homes, why we see certain colours – pretty much everything in the world around us can be explained by Physics. It’s so fascinating (mind boggling at times) and interesting and makes sense of almost everything around us – and it’s fun!