by Angelos Alexopoulos

The High Energy and Particle Physics (HEPP) Division of the European Physical Society (EPS) has announced the winners of its 2017 prizes. The Outreach Prize, for "outstanding outreach achievement connected with High Energy Physics and/or Particle Astrophysics", has been awarded to founder and leader of art@CMS, Michael Hoch, "for initiatives highlighting the conceptual and physical beatuy of high-energy physics, and the inspirational qualities that are common to both Art and Science". The prizes will be presented at the EPS Conference on High-Energy Physics (EPS-HEP 2017) that will take place in Venice, Italy, on 5-12 July 2017. 

Since its establishment in 2012, art@CMS has steadily developed into an integrated education and outreach programme that reaches out to wide audiences and especially to young people, connecting the beauty of particle physics with the world we all experience through the arts. This is fulfilled through two complementary modules: first, travelling exhibitions composed of artworks inspired by, and interpreting, the world of particle physics; and, second, science and art workshops that help school and university students to think creatively about the direct relevance of science, technology and innovation to their lives. As of today, more than 200,000 people have visited dozens of art@CMS exhibitions hosted in 17 countries worldwide, while more than 1,000 students and teachers have taken part in science and art workshops. Since October 2015, art@CMS is a major partner in CREATIONS, an EU funded project that aims to engage young people in STEM subjects and to encourage them towards scientific careers through a series of innovative in-school and out-of-school activities grounded in a creativity-enriched educational approach. 

For more information about this and other 2017 EPS HEPP prizes, consult the HEPPB website.

Learn more about art@CMS and the CREATIONS project.