A Particle Therapy MasterClass PTMC took place online in Greece on Saturday, March 28, 2026. The event was conducted entirely online, allowing participants to attend remotely. In particular, the morning programme was broadcasted live through the Veria TechLab of the Public Central Library of Veria via their YouTube channel. Their involvement was also instrumental in disseminating the PTMC through their broad networks. This contributed to extended participation and reaching students in the most remote regions who otherwise would have no chance to take advantage of such educational events that offer opportunities beyond the typical school curricula.
Indeed, the PTMC focuses on the application of Physics in modern medical treatments, offering students a unique opportunity to explore the intersection between science and healthcare. Under the scientific coordination of Dr. Yiota Foka, Physicist and Researcher at GSI and CERN, the program introduced participants to the principles and applications of Particle Therapy, a cutting-edge technique used in cancer treatment.
Participants were welcomed by the Aristotle University Rector Prof Kuriakos Anastasiadis, who highlighted the theme of the PTMC2026 online session in Greece, namely “The students become teachers”. In fact, students who benefited from such events in earlier years, and were motivated to follow related studies, presented their master’s thesis works, and also commented on their experiences and path, highlighting the influence of the PTMCs and support they received.
The PTMC combines different pedagogical elements to engage students most effectively which contributes to a memorable experience. The online PTMC started with an animation on particle therapy, based on a virtual therapy centre, to introduce participants to the overall procedure and general concepts, preparing the ground for the expert lectures that followed. These were intercepted by a real-time virtual visit at the ALICE heavy-ion experiment at the CERN LHC guided by the ALICE outreach coordinator, in Greek. This was complemented by videos of the GSI heavy-ion research centre in Germany, where cardon ion therapy was pioneered in Europe in the 90s, and of the CNAO hadron therapy centre in Italy that has already treated 6000 patients. Hence, students realise that heavy ions are used for research but also for cancer treatment, and that accelerators developed for fundamental research are used for medical applications. The expert lectures included a presentation on compact linear accelerators for medical applications as designed within the IFIGENEIA project.
The lectures were complemented by an interactive hands-on exercise, using the matRad software, developed by DKFZ for education and research purposes. Participants were guided, online, through treatment planning exercises by trained tutors, also highlighting the importance of precision imaging and the role of radioisotopes for diagnosis and treatment. The day closed with an international videoconference session connecting all participating institutes of the day with experts giving students the opportunity to interact directly with scientists and reflect on their experience.
The Particle Therapy Masterclass was originally developed by the GSI, in collaboration with CERN and DKFZ, and is part of the International Physics Masterclasses, a long-established educational outreach initiative of the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG). This global program has been successfully implemented for many years, promoting science education worldwide.
The online PTMC in Greece was co-organised by GSI, CERN and DKFZ in collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Papageorgiou General Hospital of Thessaloniki. The initiative was further supported by the CNAO hadron therapy centre in Italy, the Veria TechLab of the Public Central Library of Veria and the Region of Central Macedonia.
The full PTMC online event has been recorded and is available on YouTube:
