From CERN to the Classroom: My First WIEMO Session
One week at CERN became one enormous question shared with more than 180 students.
Yesterday, I had the chance to give my first-ever physics lecture, What Is Everything Made Of?, at Kristu Jayanti CMI Public School.
Over 180 students.
One enormous question.
A moment I do not think I will ever forget.
When I attended a CERN Masterclass in 2024, I never imagined that, just over a year later, I would be standing in front of a room full of students, sharing what I had learned with them.
This session did not begin yesterday. In many ways, it began at CERN.
For one week, I had the opportunity to explore particle physics beyond the classroom. I was introduced to the questions, experiments and discoveries that shape our understanding of the universe. It was unlike anything I had experienced before, and it completely changed the way I saw physics.
A major source of inspiration was Dr Archana Sharma at CERN. Her passion for science, her belief in young people and her confidence in what the next generation could achieve stayed with me long after the masterclass ended.
When I returned to India, I felt that I had to do something with the opportunity I had received. I wanted other students to experience the same excitement I had felt. I wanted particle physics to feel less distant and more real.
That idea became What Is Everything Made Of?
Yesterday’s lecture was the first step.
Standing in front of more than 180 students was exciting, but also slightly overwhelming. I did not know exactly how they would respond to a topic as unfamiliar as particle physics.
But as the session continued, the room filled with questions, curiosity and energy. The students were not afraid to think beyond the textbook. They wanted to know more, challenge ideas and understand how the universe worked.
For a moment, their excitement reminded me of what I had felt at CERN.
Yesterday showed me that students do not need to know everything about physics before becoming curious about it. Sometimes, they only need to be introduced to the right question.
My hope is to now bring this programme to government schools across Bengaluru and give more students the opportunity to explore particle physics.
There is still a long way to go, but yesterday was where the journey began.
I would like to thank Inventure Academy and Lavanya Srinivas for giving me the opportunity to begin this work. I would also like to thank CERN and Dr Archana Sharma for inspiring this journey, and Kristu Jayanti CMI Public School and Father Philip Joseph for welcoming me and making this first session possible.