Another wonderful international meeting has just finished. We were in Sofia, Bulgaria.
From May 9th to May 13th, 2023, one of the most dynamic and lively IPPOG events took place at the marvelous district of Sofia Tech Park.

The afternoon of May 9th was dedicated to the International Masterclasses meeting led by the two coordinators, Uta Bilow and Kenneth Cecire.

Day 1 – May 10

Unlike the usual agenda, this time the meeting started with the Collaboration Board, a restricted meeting only for representatives of IPPOG members, during which important decisions for the organisation's future are made.

The public meeting officially commenced in the afternoon. This year, IPPOG had many news to share with the community. It was, in fact, the first meeting with the new co-chair, Claire Adam, who received a warm welcome from the audience.

Before to start, the Chairs Pedro Abreu and Claire Adam presented the new core team which also includes Fabiola Cacciatore, who was previously involved in IPPOG as a student in 2022 and recently obtained the role of Scientific Secretary and Head of Communications, Despina Hatzifotiadou as the Head of Speaker and Publication Committee, Hanife Olgunsoy as financial support, and Zoe Nikolaidau as administrative support. As customary, reports were presented by the various IPPOG sectors: communication, RDB, Working Groups, and Steering Groups.

The day ended with a wonderful dinner in one of the most traditional restaurant in Sofia, where many of guests danced to the rhythm of local music.

Day 2 - May 11

The second day began with a series of inspirational success stories. The guests, some of whom were connected remotely, gave fascinating presentations on various projects.

Here's an overview:

• Congrès des deux infinis by Nicolas Arnaud (France representative)
• Women and Girls in Science and Technology by Melissa Samson (CERN)
• LHC: connect the dots! by Francois Briard (CERN)
• Phy6cool summer school for undergraduate physics students + Avenida de la Física by Jesus Puerta Pelayo (Spain representative)
• Paricle Physics for Kids + Particle Physics for Teacher by Michael Gregory (Teacher)
• German outreach network Netzwerk Teilchenwelt by Christian Klein-Boesing (Germany representative), Michael Kobel (former IPPOG Chair) and Uta Bilow (IMC coordinator)
• National Quantum and Dark Matter Road Trip + Dark Matter Schools program Jacqueline Bondell (Australia representative)
• Online events for primary school students by Cecilia Colla Ruvolo (INFN)
• World Quantum Day by Zlatan Vasović (IAPS)

That same morning, co-Chair Claire Adam was interviewed by one of the major national radio stations in Bulgaria for the program Hristo Botev - Our Day.

In the afternoon, a visit to the Discoverer at Sofia Tech Park took place, showcasing the Supercomputer.
The supercomputer at Sofia Tech Park is a cutting-edge technology that boasts immense processing power and capabilities. It has a parallel processing architecture, which makes it capable of handling large volumes of data and intensive tasks with remarkable efficiency. More info here.

Immediately after this visit, all the guests and speakers moved to the Vrana Royal Palace to attend the panel discussion on Quantum Computing, followed by an enjoyable cocktail. There were four distinguished guests of honor for the panel: Dr. Sacha Mehlhase, Munich Quantum Valley; Dr.  Federico Meloni, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY);  Dr. Elias Fernandes-Combaro, CERN & University of Oviedo; Dr. Petar Nikolov, Technical University Sofia.

Day 3 and 4 - May 12-13

During the final two days of the meeting, together with the Bulgarian colleagues, IPPOG organised two days dedicated to public events. On Friday, there has been a CMS masterclass. At the same time, in the afternoon, a beautiful tour was arranged for our guests to explore ancient Sofia. It was a true immersion into the various cultures that have influenced Bulgarian territory over the centuries.

In the evening, there has been the fabulous Physics Music Festival, which was also animated by our former chair, Steven Goldfarb.

The Saturday has been dedicated to students who participated in a Particle Therapy Masterclass, followed by an award ceremony for the contest in various categories: posters, videoclip and drawings. Here are the names of the winners:

drawings:

1st place (7-8th grade)

Atomic
Philip Uzunski, 7th grade
Supervisor: Daniela Baeva
Primary school "Yordan Yovkov", Varna

2nd place (7-8th grade)

Dark matter
Leonid Lukanov, 7th grade
Supervisor: Daniela Baeva
Primary school "Yordan Yovkov", Varna

Special recognition
The dark matter - what I saw
Alexandra Nikolova, 10 grade
Supervisor: Ralitsa Ranchova
Vocational High School of Design "Elisaveta Vazova", Sofia

1st place (9-12th grade)

We are part of the Universe

Bozhidara Krusteva, 9th grade
Supervisor: Penka Vassileva
Secondary School "Hadzhi Mina Pashov", Sliven

2nd place (9-12th grade)

In my universe
Computer graphics
Martin Baycharov, 10th degree
Supervisor: Penka Vassileva
Secondary School "Hadzhi Mina Pashov", Sliven

 

video clips:

1st place:

From the big CERN to the small CERN - one curiosity distance!

Anna Dimitrova, 8th grade
Vanessa Mikova, 8th grade
Victoria Koleva, 8th grade
Supervisor: Ralitsa Ranchova
Vocational High School of Design "Elisaveta Vazova", Sofia

2nd place:

Space girls

Item: Space mysteries
Alex Zhecheva, 7th grade
Ana Cristina Petrova, 7th grade
Supervisor: Katya Gocheva
Primary School "Pencho Slaveykov", Dimitrovgrad

Special recognition:

The small atom's nucleus
Video clip, song
Lia Ivancheva, 9th grade
Supervisor: Ralitsa Ranchova
Vocational High School of Design "Elisaveta Vazova", Sofia

posters:

1st place:

The God Particle]
Sophia Kande, 11th grade
Supervisor: Silvia Rousseva
American College of Sofia

 

2nd place:

The world of elementary particles
Alex Zhecheva, 7th grade
Devora Diyanova, 7th grade
Supervisor: Katya Gocheva
Primary School "Pencho Slaveykov", Dimitrovgrad

 

encouraging award:
Radioactivity - a deadly enemy or invaluable helper
Veronika Tsoneva, 9th grade
Supervisor: Ralitsa Ranchova
Vocational High School of Design "Elisaveta Vazova", Sofia

During the weekend, those who had the opportunity to stay a bit longer had the opportunity to attend the Festival of Flowers & Arts (May 13 - May 14), organised by Sofia Tech Park. Several events have been held in parallel in the various districts of Sofia Tech Park. Here are a few photos to give you an idea of how wonderful the world of science and outreach is and, in Bulgaria, science is appreciated.

Before to conclude, the entire IPPOG collaboration would like to express the gratitude to the Bulgarian colleagues for the wonderful organisation.
Thank you!