Cosmo-Edu-Lab is an innovative digital platform developed to bridge classical physics and modern cosmology in secondary schools. The goal is to transform students from passive spectators into active researchers using an Inquiry-Based Learning framework, integrating authentic astronomical datasets and scaffolded activities to explore galaxy rotation curves and cluster velocity distributions. Students will eventually induce the existence, and quantify the amount of dark matter in the universe, using foundational Newtonian mechanics and real data. The platform, engineered for extension to further educational cosmological topics, also integrates introductory gamified activities, a multimodal environment with data sonification for accessibility, and an AI-driven Socratic tutor.

Biography:

Eleonora Panini is a PhD student in Physics at University of Modena in Italy. She previously completed her bachelor and master degree in Computer Engineering at Uninettuno. Her research interests include evaluation Physics education, Cosmology and teaching tools at secondary school.