Modern physics, experimental research, and fundamental science: members of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute community took part in an open dialogue with Steven Goldfarb, a French-American experimental particle physicist.
ℹ️ Steven Goldfarb is a researcher at the University of Melbourne, a member of the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and Co-Chair of the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG).
👥 For the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute community, he delivered a lecture titled “Universal Questions: How We Measure What We Can’t See.”
📋 The discussion covered:
— the journey from the earliest observations and simple experiments to large-scale international research;
— the Large Hadron Collider, ultra-precise measurements, and working with massive volumes of data;
— technologies emerging from fundamental science;
— artificial intelligence as a tool for modern research;
— critical thinking and the role of experimental data;
— questions that physics is still seeking answers to, including dark matter, dark energy, the matter–antimatter asymmetry, and the nature of gravity;
— young scientists who will create the technologies of the next generation.
📌 A separate topic was how Ukrainian students can join the global scientific community while still at university. CERN brings together universities and research institutions from countries around the world, and the path to major experiments can begin with a research project, work with a scientific group, or participation in an international programme.
❓ After the lecture, students, PhD candidates, young researchers, and faculty members had the opportunity to speak directly with Steven Goldfarb and ask their questions during a Q&A session.
The full lecture recording is available in the video.