Project EEE 2025 Meeting: students from all over Italy at CREF to study cosmic rays
The general meeting of the Extreme Energy Events Project (EEE) gathered also this year representatives from the schools involved in the experiment: 26 institutes from all over Italy — around a hundred students and teachers — met from November 12 to 14 at the Enrico Fermi Research Center (CREF), while other schools followed and contributed remotely.
The event was organized into three days of scientific activities, training, and discussions, aiming to bring students closer to the study of cosmic rays and experimental research assisted by the researchers of the EEE collaboration.
The President of CREF, Prof. Angela Bracco, inaugurated the event together with the project spokesperson Dr. Marco Garbini, the outreach coordinator Dr. Cristina Ripoli (University of Salerno), and the CREF researcher Dr. Silvia Pisano.
The central moment of the meeting was the Masterclass – led by Dr. Francesco Noferini, EEE vice spokesperson (INFN Bologna) – dedicated to a data analysis based on measurements taken during the recent PolarquEEEst 2025 – OvEEErland mission: using the POLA-02 detector, cosmic ray flux measurements were made at different latitudes along a car route from Bologna to Tromsø passing through Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
Working on the data, organized in interschool groups, the students tackled the analysis, transforming it into an opportunity for collaboration, integration, and growth in problem-solving skills.
At the end, the groups presented their results to the audience, and three projects were awarded on the final day (1°: IC Pirandello, Lampedusa and Liceo Fermi, Paternò - 2°: Liceo Banzi, Lecce and Liceo Amaldi, Bitetto - 3°: IISS Staffa, Trinitapoli and Liceo Scacchi, Bari).
On the second day of the conference, the EEE Project took part in the 14th edition of the International Cosmic Day (ICD). Liceo Scorza (Cosenza) – which produced the best analysis presented for this contest based on data collected via POLA-R onboard the Amerigo Vespucci (PolarquEEEst 2022 mission) – had the opportunity to present their work during the international ICD call: students from all over the world gather at this global event, organized every year by the DESY laboratory in Hamburg, to discuss cosmic ray studies.
The meeting program also included two in-depth seminars: Prof. Giorgio Riccobene (INFN – National Laboratories of the South, Catania) concluded the second day presenting “KM3NeT-ARCA: the largest underwater detector in the world in the era of high-energy neutrino astronomy”; Prof. Adele La Rana (Sapienza University of Rome) opened the last day with the talk titled “Fermi, every one of us: genius at work! Enrico Fermi and quantum mechanics.”
Finally, in the words of the Scientific Director of CREF, Prof. Salvatore De Pasquale, and President Bracco, the value of the EEE Project emerged once again as the result of collaboration between CREF and INFN, serving as a meeting place for researchers and students, with the goal of bringing young people closer to the world of research through active participation, sharing, and fieldwork.
PolarquEEEst 2025 – OvEEErland: By car from Bologna to Tromsø to study cosmic rays at different latitudes
The PolarquEEEst 2025 – OvEEErland mission, the new project by the EEE Collaboration researchers dedicated to studying cosmic ray fluxes at different latitudes using one of the POLA-R detectors developed within the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project, concluded today, October 8th. The mission, which started on September 16th, was jointly organized by CREF, INFN, and the University of Oslo.
Following previous expeditions—where in 2018 the POLA-R detectors boarded the innovative ecological vessel Nanuq to circumnavigate the Svalbard islands; in 2019 they were permanently installed in the Norwegian archipelago; and in 2022 they accompanied the training ship Amerigo Vespucci on its circumnavigation of Italy—this year’s mission takes a new direction: traveling by land, from Bologna to Tromsø in the heart of Arctic Norway, by car!
The route crossed six countries—Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway—covering a total of approximately 8,200 km round trip. “A journey covering a wide range of latitudes, from 44.5°N to 70°N, filling particularly the gap in measurements between 52°N and 66°N, which was never explored in previous PolarquEEEst missions,” says Francesco Noferini, INFN project manager for the EEE Project.
Along the way, scientific stops and outreach events took place at German and Norwegian schools: Gymnasium Villa Elisabeth in Wildau (with the support of Carolin Gnebner, head of the DESY-Zeuthen group for International Cosmic Day), the Physics Department of the University of Oslo, and Thora Storm Videregående Skole in Trondheim. All three events were very successful and saw significant participation also from Italian students, who shared their work on the detectors at their schools via live connections.
“For years, EEE has offered students the unique opportunity to experience science firsthand, side by side with researchers. With this mission, we bring our cosmic ray measurements beyond geographical borders, crossing countries and diverse communities. This journey unites science, youth, and institutions under one sky, reminding us that knowledge has no boundaries,” states Marco Garbini, EEE Project manager at CREF and spokesperson.
The POLA-R detector has returned to Bologna awaiting new expeditions!
All photos and videos of the trip, stage by stage, along with the story of this exciting scientific adventure, can be found on EEE’s social media channels.
ICRC 2025
International Cosmic Ray Conference 2025
From July 14 to 24, 2025, the annual astroparticle physics conference (ICRC - International Cosmic Ray Conference) is taking place this year at the CICG (International Conference Centre) in Geneva.
Frome left: O.Pinazza, P.La Rocca, F.Nozzoli, L.Ghezzer
Four members of the EEE collaboration presented results on various topics related to the Project and particle physics.
Below are the official links to the conference and the presentations of the four researchers:
• Conference: http://icrc2025.unige.ch/
• Paola La Rocca: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1258933/contributions/6481354/
• Ombretta Pinazza: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1258933/contributions/6478597/
• Luigi Ghezzer: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1258933/contributions/6478581/
• Francesco Nozzoli: https://indico.cern.ch/event/
Below are the links to the Instagram and Facebook posts of the event on the official channels of the EEE Project:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMYRTKjI9Xq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16gvXG62dB/
EEE Collaboration Meeting 2025
EEE COLLABORATION MEETING AT CREF
On July 7 and 8, Enrico Fermi Research Center (CREF) hosted the meeting of the EEE Collaboration (Extreme Energy Events Project). The experiment, a result of the collaboration between CREF and INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics), is dedicated to the study of cosmic rays and outreach activities in over 70 schools participating in the Project.
The President of CREF, Prof. Angela Bracco and the Scientific Director Prof. Salvatore de Pasquale, opened the meeting with a welcome address to all participants, both present and connected remotely, emphasizing the importance of teamwork that led the EEE Project to celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2024.
Marco Garbini (CREF) and Francesco Noferini (INFN Bologna), respectively Spokesperson and Deputy Spokesperson of the project, opened the sessions with an introductory overview followed by presentations from the various experiment leaders: Cristina Ripoli (University of Salerno) for outreach, Ombretta Pinazza (INFN Bologna) for activities related to the POLA-R detectors, and Despina Hatzifotiadou (INFN Bologna) for R&D activities at CERN. The first day concluded with a talk by Rosario Nania (INFN Bologna) on organizing a cosmic ray flux measurement campaign by car from Bologna to Tromsø (Norway).
The second day featured an overview by Prof. Francesco Riggi (University of Catania) on publications and conference participation, followed by a review of ongoing analysis activities with contributions from Francesco Noferini, Ombretta Pinazza, and Paola La Rocca (University of Catania). The final presentation was by Aksieniia Shtimmerman (CNAF Bologna) on the computing aspects.
Many insights emerged during the various presentations, allowing the definition of the program of EEE Project activities for the coming months and years.
Links to the post on our social profiles:
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/p/DL2zHtyoB_M/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
EEE at the North Pole
POLA-R Detectors at the “Dirigibile Italia” Research Base in Svalbard islands
Since May 12 to May 19, a team of researchers from the EEE Collaboration – Francesco Noferini (INFN Bologna), Alessandro Corvaglia (INFN Lecce), and Corrado Cicalò (INFN Cagliari) – have conducted maintenance work on the POLA-R detectors at the CNR research station “Dirigibile Italia” in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
Ny-Ålesund
The operations have been supported by station leaders Anna Baldo and Leandro Nauhel Rotondo.
The POLA-R detectors, developed through the collaboration between the Enrico Fermi Research Center (CREF) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), are part of the EEE Project (Extreme Energy Events), an experiment dedicated to the study of cosmic rays that also involves high school students from all over Italy. Since 2019 as part of the EEE@NyAlesund mission, these detectors play a key role in data collection at extreme latitudes. The long time series collected over more than five years now enable in-depth analyses of signal periodicities, offering insights into the nature of cosmic ray sources.
Researchers of Collaboration EEE: Francesco Noferini (INFN Bologna), Alessandro Corvaglia (INFN Lecce) e Corrado Cicalò (INFN Cagliari)
INFN researchers, CNR and Institute of Polar Science
Measurements under such geographical and environmental conditions are particularly rare and valuable for the scientific community.
EEE Researchers Night 2024
The European Researchers' Night will be held on 27 and 28 September 2024
The EEE Project will participate in the following activities:
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Send us a photo of your EEE European Researcher's Night and we will publish it on the EEE social channels!
Page by M.G.
EEE Project General Meeting 2023
The general meeting of the Extreme Energy Events Project– Science in Schools has just ended at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro dell’INFN.
Hundred students and teachers from schools across Italy participated in the event in person, together with EEE researchers, and many others followed remotely.
During the three days, from 27 to 29 November, some seminars were held on the activities of the EEE project and PolarquEEEst ("spin off" of EEE for the measurement of cosmic rays near the North Pole) and on some researches that are carried out at the Legnaro Laboratories, such as nuclear astrophysics and the production of radionuclides for medicine.
The students had the opportunity to visit the experimental areas of the laboratories and discover the activities taking place inside them. The central event of the meeting was a masterclass in which the students measured the Legnaro EEE telescope efficiency, starting form data aqusiition to analysis and report of the results. The students of the EEE project, in fact, actively participate in the study of the performance of the detectors with the new low environmental impact mixture that the EEE collaboration has identified as part of its ecological transition.
EEE at ICD 2023
More than 30 schools of the E.E.E. Project participated in the International Cosmic Day 2023. During this edition of the event, hundreds of students followed the seminar by Professor Pasquale Blasi, of the Gran Sasso Science Institute, entitled "The universe that the eye does not see: High Energy Cosmic Accelerators", an interesting journey to the origin of cosmic rays.
The day continued with the presentations of the schools focused on the analysis of data from the POLAR detectors, located at the international scientific station of Ny Alesund: the students studied the coincidences between pairs of detectors. On the occasion of the event, students and professors from high schools in Rome and Lazio followed the ICD from the Fermi Hall of Centro Fermi.
EEE Researchers Night 2023
The European Researchers' Night will be held on 29 and 30 September 2023
The EEE Project will participate in the following activities:
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Send us a photoof your EEE European Researcher's Night and we will publish it on the EEE socials!
NB: in order for your photos to be published on our channels it is necessary to simultaneously send the completed and signed privacy information found here
Page by M.G.
EEE-meetings resume!
More...
The Schools paticipating in the EEE Project at the 10th International Cosmic Day
Thirty high school classes from all over Italy and numerous students and professors belonging to the EEE Project participated in the International Cosmic Day 2021 - the international day dedicated to the physics of cosmic rays - taking part in the webinar that the Enrico Fermi Research Center and INFN they organized on November 10th. The meeting, moderated by Dr. Silvia Pisano, CREF researcher, was articulated through the contributions of Dr. Giuseppe Gallo (Muonic Tomography of Etna) of the University and INFN section of Catania, of Prof. Daniele De Gruttola ( Cosmic ray flow vs. direction) of the University and INFN section of Salerno, and the presentations of the four best analyzes carried out by the schools: the Liceo Scacchi of Bari, the Liceo Galvani of Bologna, the Liceo Righi of Rome and the IIS Staffa of Trinitapoli. International Cosmic Day is an international event born 10 years ago, coordinated by the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) of Hamburg, and aims to bring students closer to science by accompanying them in the discovery and study of cosmic rays.
First Meeting of the EEE Project after COVID shutdown,17-19 November 2021 Erice
From 17 to 19 November 2021, eleven schools of the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project met in person at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Center for Scientific Culture in Erice for the workshop "1st Meeting of the EEE Project after COVID shutdown"; the meeting, organized by CREF and INFN, brought together 50 students and teachers in person and more than 250 participants remotely connected.
The EEE Project is performing an ecological transition, so the heart of the meeting was the Masterclass: “Ecogas for EEE stations - Data analysis on ecological mixtures”. The students of the Project had the opportunity to analyze the data recently acquired by some telescopes of the EEE network, in which the standard gas mixture was replaced by different mixtures with low Global Warming Power (GWP). The students discussed the results of the tests, also presenting their original contribution: the best works were awarded at the end of the workshop.
The agenda (https://agenda.centrofermi.it/event/197/timetable/#20211117) included also three seminars dedicated to coincidences between distant detectors, the PolarquEEEst mission and Physics applied to the archaeological sector, a contribution that prepared the students for the visit to the Lilibeo Museum in Marsala, which took place during the morning of the second day of the meeting.
The great success of this initiative represents a first step towards the restart of the activities of the EEE Project.
EEE Project at ICHEP 2022
Marco Garbini presented the outreach activities of the EEE: Extreme Energy Events Project at the ICHEP 2022 conference held in Bologna from 6 to 13 July 2022.The International Conference on High Energy Physics is one of the leading conferences in the field of High Energy Physics.
More than 1000 physicists from around the world attended the conference sharing the latest advances in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, accelerator science and discuss future projects. It was one of the first major events in person after the Pandemic.
The status and activities of the EEE Project were presented in the Education & Outreach session of the Conference. In particular the talk was focused on the organization of the experiment and the work carried out by all participants in the experiment in the last two difficult years and the challenges of the "green transition" undertaken by the Collaboration.
Il Progetto EEE organizza un webinar sulla missione PolarquEEEst con diretta dalle Svalbard
Webinar PolarquEEEst: an expedition to the North Pole in search of cosmic rays
Event start time 19:30: https://cern.zoom.us/j/
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