The Big Squeeze - Putting Pressure on Materials

This project seeks to (i) inspire and enthuse young people about modern science conducted at central facilities, (ii) convey the nature and excitement of the research process, (iii) provide teachers with support in the delivery of school curricula, and (iv) promote dialogue between practising scientists and the wider public. This will be achieved by the development of demonstration lectures and hands-on workshops that highlight research into the effects of very high pressures on a selection of materials. These include propellants and explosives, pharmaceuticals, magnetic materials, biological molecules such as peptides and proteins, cements and minerals, simple elements of relevance to planets in the solar system, and chemical synthesis at high pressures. The lectures and workshops will show how the structure of these materials can be studied using very intense beams of x-rays and neutrons generated at large central laboratories. The lectures will also include topics such as: the generation and properties of x-rays and neutrons; why intense sources are often required; the concept of pressure and the range of pressures experienced in the universe; how pressures are generated and measured; and why particular materials are used in the design and construction of pressure cells. The workshops will give people opportunities to perform simple experiments that illustrate scientific principles and to discover for themselves the nature of the research process. The web site will enable people to view images, video clips, and explanations of the demonstrations and experiments that they have seen. The provision of downloadable notes will allow teachers to incorporate experiments and demonstrations into their teaching programmes. The web-site will also keep people informed about new developments in high-pressure science through blogs and podcasts produced by researchers working in the field of high pressure.