Hi! My name is Max, and I was a physics and maths student at sixth form in the UK. From Autumn 2023, I’ll be studying physics and philosophy at the University of Bristol to try and decode reality itself… You can see me with my friends in the picture on the right! (I’m the one with the hair in the middle).
It was the opportunity of a lifetime to get up close and personal with one of the world’s most advanced pieces of kit last Tuesday. A group of CERN scientists, one of whom happens to be from Bristol university, led us from the control panel of the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) and down into the heart of the beast.
We got to see the sheer scale of the magnet they use to smash tiny particles together, all whilst having any question we had answered in real time. I recently finished my A level in physics, and I plan to take it further to degree level, so it was inspiring to see just how far I could go with what I have planned!
The experience made you feel like you were really part of the team, a piece of the furniture; the team were super responsive and enthusiastic, giving us all the details about what it’s like to work at CERN. We got to see all the security measures involved as well, including but not limited to iris scanners. It wasn’t just some lecture about physics we couldn’t understand. Everything was digestible and made me seriously consider going down that route in my career.
The tour was about an hour long, which was plenty long enough to cover all areas that were of interest. There was also a team of scientists behind the scenes answering chat questions in real time about the types of particles that they were observing and colliding. It was really great to see the human side to all of this, everyone who works there was eager to show us their proudest achievements and encourage us to join in (eventually). Overall, a great experience, and one I’ll never forget.
Read more about the tour here ❯
📅Next Chat: Tuesday 7 February 12.30pm to 1.30pm 📅
From Initial Idea to Experiment
Next Tuesday, discover more about the process of turning a question into a real-life experiment.
From making an initial observation, forming a hypothesis, making a prediction, conducting an experiment and finally analysing the results, the physicists at CERN share how they use the scientific method.
What can you do in the CERN Zone?
- The first Quiz is live! Once you’ve explored the team and scientist profiles’ have a go at the Quiz. You could win £20!
- Ask a question to the scientists taking part in the Zone. Start off by having a look at what’s been asked so far ❯
- Keep up to date with your favourite teams by following them from their profiles. You will get updates of what they have been working on as well as questions they have answered.
