A team of young Bangladeshi students, known as Polaris, has achieved a significant milestone by winning the 13th edition of CERN’s prestigious Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition. This victory marks the first time Bangladesh has won the global science contest, which saw participation from 712 teams across 89 countries. The Bangladeshi team competed alongside winning teams from the United States, United Kingdom, Türkiye, and India. Their success underscores the talent and potential of Bangladesh’s young generation in the field of science.
The winning team, comprising students from colleges in Noakhali, Rangpur, and Dhaka, conducted their experiment on polysiloxane-based plastic scintillators for high-energy electron beam profiling. The experiment was carried out at the ELSA accelerator of the University of Bonn and CERN. Their journey from conducting experiments with limited facilities at home to performing their final experiment at renowned institutions highlights their determination and ingenuity.
Upon their return, the students were welcomed by the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in Geneva. Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, the Bangladesh Permanent Representative in Geneva, congratulated the students, emphasizing their achievement as a testament to the talent and global potential of Bangladesh’s youth. She noted that the foundation for Bangladesh-CERN cooperation was laid in 2012 with the signing of an Expression of Interest (EoI), further strengthened by the International Cooperation Agreement (ICA) in 2014. These agreements have opened new opportunities for Bangladeshi scientists, engineers, researchers, and students to participate in CERN’s scientific and training programs.
FAQs
Q: What is the Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition? A: The Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition is a global science contest organized by CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. It allows school and college students to propose and conduct real experiments using CERN’s particle accelerators, providing them with hands-on experience in high-energy physics.
Q: How many teams participated in this year’s BL4S competition? A: This year’s BL4S competition saw participation from 712 teams across 89 countries, making it one of the most competitive editions of the contest.
Q: What was the focus of the Bangladeshi team’s experiment? A: The Bangladeshi team’s experiment focused on polysiloxane-based plastic scintillators for high-energy electron beam profiling. They conducted their experiment at the ELSA accelerator of the University of Bonn and CERN.
Q: What impact does this victory have on Bangladesh’s scientific community? A: This victory highlights the talent and potential of Bangladesh’s young scientists and opens new opportunities for Bangladeshi students to engage with global scientific communities. It also reinforces the importance of international cooperation in scientific research.
