Thursday July 28th concluded the first ever Palestinian Advanced Physics School hosted by the Arab American University of Jenin and organised by Scientists for Palestine. The three days school attracted world famous scholars giving lectures ranging from foundations of particle physics to applications of synchrotron radiation, from the mathematical structure of symmetries in nature to surprising effects of light-matter interactions. The school was attended by roughly 30 Palestinian physics master students from four Palestinian Universities (An-Najah, Al Quds, Arab American University and Birzeit).
This was the first event organised by Scientists for Palestine, and we were thrilled to see how all our preparations would turn out. Fortunately the success of the school exceeded our expectations. Everyone involved, from the students to the lecturers, were very happy for the whole duration of the school. Wonderful lectures were followed by engaging and stimulating, hands-on, problem solving sessions and each day ended with a Palestinian dinner provided by the organisers. There is no better way to do physics than with a smile on your face and delicious food in your belly!
There was only one shared criticism: the school was too short! We are already working on a possible week-long school with a broadened scope, for future years.
We, Scientists for Palestine, are very grateful to CERN, the Sharing the Knowledge Foundation, the Arab American University and Birzeit University for financial and practical support for the school. Moreover, we are enormously grateful to the work and support of Dr. Adli Saleh (Arab American University) and Dr. Wafaa Khater (Birzeit University). Without their contributions and guidance the school would have not been possible.
More photos from the school can be found on the Scientists for Palestine Facebook page.