Prof. Dr. Lucia Masetti

Curiosity is one of the basic human motivations and drivers of learning. From early childhood onwards, we explore the world around us because we want to experience what it is like to touch, feel, and smell objects in our environment. “We physicists all share one basic characteristic: we are as curious as small children,” says Lucia Masetti with a big smile. And “we” here not only includes physics researchers in general but especially the students in her research groups on all qualification levels, including Bachelor students already.

There is a high correlation between curiosity and innovation

Indeed, there is a high correlation between curiosity and innovation. Just imagine the inventor of the telephone, Graham Bell, or the founding father of quantum physics, Max Planck – guess what they were by training? Physicists, of course. What differentiates these precursors from the physics researchers and students of today is the equipment and research infrastructure.

JGU’s Physics Department offer top-level laboratories and large-scale experimental facilities

While Bell in the 19th century experimented in rented facilities and boarding houses, research-oriented institutes such as JGU’s Physics Department offer top-level laboratories and large-scale experimental facilities. Students thus get the chance to conduct experiments at MAMI and TRIGA, and also join large-scale experiments at partner institutions such as the CERN in Switzerland where the Higgs boson was found.

Learn more about the ATLAS group and their achievements at JGU: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/16745_ENG_HTML.php