
The University of Jordan hosts "Mind-Blowing Physics"
As part of its ongoing efforts to promote physics outreach and science popularisation, the LAMBDA Physics Group at the University of Jordan (UJ) organised a public open day titled "Mind-Blowing Physics" on Thursday, July 24th.
This event celebrated the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025) and the International Day of Light (Light Day 2025), in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the LAMBDA Physics Group at the University of Jordan and the 60th anniversary of UJ's School of Science.
Dean of the School of Science, Prof. Mahmoud Jaghoub, inaugurated the event, emphasising the School's commitment to science communication.
According to Prof. Hanan Sa'adeh, Professor of Atomic and Molecular Physics and Founding Supervisor of the LAMBDA Physics Group, the open day primarily aimed to provide students with the opportunity to express physics in unconventional ways and to communicate knowledge to the public, in the belief that "physics is for everyone."
The event, held at the Ibn Al-Haytham Laboratory in the Physics Department, included numerous interactive activities that transformed abstract concepts into engaging experiments. The activities on display were divided into three sections: artwork, practical experiments, and extracurricular publications. Additionally, a corner in the laboratory was dedicated to introducing the LAMBDA Physics Group—its origins, mission, role in disseminating knowledge, and information on how to become a member.
In the "Artwork" section, participants displayed works that reflected physical concepts or embodied the human relationship with science in an impressive artistic way. Among the most prominent works were "Comics: Quantum Entanglement" by Reem Saif, "Enjoying the Universe" by Aya Abdel-Hayy, "Twinkling Stars" by Salma Saleh and Haneen Al-Najjar, and "Painting with Light" by Rania Oteir.
The “Experiments” section included numerous interactive physics demonstrations, used to explain scientific concepts simply and engagingly. These experiments covered Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Light and Optics, along with various physics tricks and science games.
In the “Extracurricular Physics Books” section, the audience explored more than 20 books, magazines, and short story collections, presented in an unconventional, interactive manner by students.
The event lasted for more than four hours and was attended by a diverse audience of university and school students, teachers, laboratory supervisors, faculty and administrative staff, and members of the local community interested in physics and science. Attendees expressed their enjoyment of the displayed artwork, practical experiments, tricks, and games, based primarily on physics concepts, which had a profound impact in stimulating curiosity and fostering passion.
The event concluded with the honouring of participants in the various "Mind-Blowing Physics" sections, as well as the volunteers who contributed to the organisation, alongside members of the LAMBDA Physics Group.
For his part, Prof. Jaghoub expressed his pleasure at viewing the work of participants from various disciplines and age groups. In his remarks, he said:
"What was presented today leaves no doubt that teaching physics is not limited to equations." He added: "What you did today has an impact that surpasses dozens of lectures and goes beyond equations."
Prof. Jaghoub thanked Prof. Sa’adeh and the members of the LAMBDA Physics Group for their efforts and congratulated everyone on the success of the open day.
In her closing remarks, Prof. Sa’adeh thanked the participants for their enthusiasm in presenting their experiments and artworks, the attendees for their active participation, and the members of the LAMBDA Physics Group and student volunteers for their time and effort.
"Thank you all for believing that physics is mind-blowing and physics is for everyone." She added: "This day has been a remarkable moment in the tenth anniversary of the LAMBDA Physics Group, and each of you has contributed to it."
It is noteworthy that the LAMBDA Physics Group, established in 2015 under the supervision of Prof. Hanan Sa'adeh, is a volunteer-based initiative that aims to promote scientific literacy and communicate the beauty of physics to diverse audiences within and beyond the University of Jordan.