National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip is back for 2025

The 2024 National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip, led by the ARC Centres of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM), marked a milestone by visiting schools and Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory for the first time.

The 2024 road trip ran from 4 to 19 August, with a team of 13 scientists travelling 8000 km from Brisbane to Broome. Along the way, they visited 18 schools and delivered six public events in remote towns, with additional events in major cities and online.

Road trip organiser and physicist Dr. Ben McAllister said the goal was to make quantum science accessible to students who may never have met a scientist before. Dr. Kerstin Beer added that science is all about creativity and discovery, and that is the message when we are visiting students.

This year’s team members also included Kristen Harley, Lachlan Rogers, Ben Field, Emma Paterson, Jesse Slim, Rakesh Saini, Teehani Ralph, Tim Newman, and Varun Srivastava. Additional contributions came from EQUS members Will Campbell, John Bartholomew, Xanthe Croot, and others who participated in various pop-up events throughout the trip.

Road trips have been a cornerstone of EQUS outreach since 2018, with over 4000 students reached through “The National QDM Road Trip” (beginning 2022) and earlier EQUS activities. As part of its legacy, EQUS will sponsor the 2025 edition, which will continue to be led by CDM after EQUS ends.

See the video of the 2024 Road Trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDQaxKVz9oM&t=47s

Find more about the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip her: https://www.qdmroadtrip.org/

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