Lederman Science Center: Visitor's Handout

Read this to make your visit to the exhibits at the Science Center a success.

The Big Picture

This is the dawn of an exciting age of new discovery in the study of elementary particles and the interactions among them. The theoretical framework of the fundamental nature of matter, the Standard Model, explains much, but much remains unclear. What is dark matter? What happened to antimatter? Are there extra dimensions of spacetime? Are there new symmetries of nature? Are there new, as yet unobserved forces? What is responsible for mass?

Exhibits

The Lederman Science Center exhibits give young people a hands-on experience exploring how Fermilab physicists understand the nature of matter. The exhibits are part of a program that includes a classroom instructional unit culminating in a field trip at Fermilab. Docents lead small groups of students on a tour of Wilson Hall and some of the technical areas. They meet a scientist and spend time at the Center exploring half-a-dozen exhibits. We invite the public to view Fermilab from a kid's point of view. We provide videos in each room to give some of the background that kids on field trips get from docents. Each room has a laminated visitor's guide to connect the exhibits to the exhibit story we tell here. Cartoons provide additional information on how to use the exhibits.

Watch the videos in each room! Pick up a visitor's guide in each room about the exhibits! Look at the cartoons to learn how to use the exhibits. Read the story the exhibits tell.