Physics Trip to CERN

From June 19th to 21st, over 40 Year 12 Physics students had the incredible opportunity to visit CERN in Geneva. CERN is renowned for housing the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest collider, stretching nearly 27km in circumference, and serving as a global centre for scientific innovation.

The first day greeted us with fantastic weather - sunny spells and temperatures around 30 degrees. We took full advantage of this by sightseeing and visiting landmarks like the iconic Jet d'Eau, and the impressive Cathédrale Saint Pierre, which towered over us, standing at nearly 50m tall! The cathedral's stunning architecture left us in awe, made all the more impressive by the fact that it had been around for nearly 1600 years!

The next day brought less favourable weather, drenching us with rain. Undeterred, we headed to CERN, where enthusiastic tour guides, who were also part of the research teams, welcomed us. We explored the exhibitions and museum and then embarked on a guided tour of the laboratories, with the technical ingenuity of CERN’s machinery being on full display. At CERN, scientists work around the clock to help solve science’s most pressing matters. For example, it’s here where particles are smashed together at close to the speed of light to recreate the conditions present just after the Big Bang to produce the rarest of particles, for example, the Higgs boson. The existence of the Higgs boson was initially predicted in 1964 but was only finally confirmed to be true in 2012 using the LHC - a testament to the significance of this remarkable piece of machinery and putting CERN at the heart of the world of Physics research.

On the final day we departed for a guided tour of the UN headquarters at the Palais des Nations. This visit was fascinating, providing insights into the history of the UN and its predecessor, the League of Nations, whose legacy paved the way for the United Nations. We explored mini-galleries showcasing artworks donated by various nations and visited the official debate room where international representatives convene. A memorable highlight was the UN peacocks, who seemed more than delighted to show off their vibrant plumage for us!

Overall, the trip was enjoyable and immensely interesting. We are very grateful to the school, the Educational Visits Team, and the Physics Team for making this incredible experience possible.