Physics Theorynet is an outreach program supported by the National Science Foundation and coordinated by the Principal Investigators since 2003. The main component of Theorynet activities is direct interaction between Boston area theorists and high school students, through lecture presentations, demonstrations, and question and answer sessions conducted during regular class hours and after classes. Presentation topics may include science in the news (such as dark energy, the Large Hadron Collider, or exoplanets), traditional subjects of interest to young science students (such as black holes, timetravel, or extra dimensions), or concepts related to the high school physics curriculum. The program aims to increase students' understanding of science and to raise their awareness of the importance of fundamental research. In particular the Theorynet program seeks to stress the importance of teaching what is referred to as the "nature of science" (NOS). Very briefly, NOS can be described as the notion that the acquisition of scientific knowledge is a collective, human enterprise which proceeds through an evolving framework of models for the physical world. Recent research indicates that students will not adequately understand NOS unless it is deliberately introduced into the curriculum. Specifically, students will not come to appreciate the true nature of science simply by learning the body of knowledge commonly taught in high school curricula. Therefore, the Physics Theorynet outreach program seeks to deliver instruction about NOS to high school students in the Boston metropolitan area.
Faculty participants in the Theorynet program come from universities such as MIT, Harvard, Tufts, Boston University, Brandeis, Rhode Island College and the University of New Hampshire, in addition to Northeastern University. High school instructors in the Theorynet program represent a diversified cross-section of public and private schools in urban, suburban and rural areas, with fifteen high schools currently represented across three states. Operational costs of the Theorynet program include a nominal stipend for high school instructors who participate, compensation for the travel that instructors undertake to attend program meetings, acquisition and maintenance of lecture demonstrations and presentation equipment, and advertising at regional events aimed at physics instructors.
It is estimated that 2,000 students are reached by Theorynet physicists each year, in a diversified cross-section of public and private schools in urban, suburban and rural areas. The program is highly appreciated by teachers, students and their parents. Students have had negative pre-conceived notions of science professionals corrected by direct interaction with university faculty. Students are often encouraged to learn that even some fanciful speculations can find a home in theoretical physics, where there truly are "no dumb questions." Concepts such as string theory or the Higgs mechanism are de-mystified, and the importance of fundamental science as a vocation is re-affirmed. There is even a broader impact on Boston area communities due to the coverage in high school and local newspapers, as well as to students reporting visits to their parents. A major component of the Theorynet program is promoting physics as a field of study when high school students go on to college, and suggesting theoretical physics as a plausible long-term career goal for students.
