Like the vast majority of conferences and meetings this year, ScienceWriters 2020 went virtual in response to the coronavirus pandemic. And instead of field trips typically organized by the host institution of the conference, organizers called on attendees to create a virtual, Zoom-able experience about the science happening in their part of the world. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase a facility like IceCube.
Mention the word “neutrino” to the casual observer and chances are they will look at you with interrogation in their face. They might have a fuzzy idea that this is an elementary particle, but they probably won’t know why it is important, who studies it, or where and how. This is why any initiative to engage all segments of society in alternative approaches to contemplating cosmic ray research is a welcome one. Art is perhaps one of the greatest vehicles to do this.
WIPAC and the Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL) are kicking off the school year with a September exhibition featuring artworks inspired by scientific research led by physicists from UW–Madison, including scientists from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory as well as faculty from the Department of Physics.
