Autumn is here, the temperatures are dropping, and it seems like a good time to look back at our summer students … before we completely forget just how hot this summer was. Especially in an office with no air conditioning. This summer, four undergraduate students joined us in Geneva and brought a healthy dose of enthusiasm, curiosity, and energy to the PPC.
Hayden before entering CERN.
On her back, you can see the flags from the member states on the ground blu groups.
Hayden holding on to the well constructed fence around CERN.
Warren spent the summer working on Archi, exploring how AI can help us navigate the ever-growing world of SubMIT and CMS computing. Hayden worked on the 5 TeV CMS data and the extraction of the strong coupling constant, while Liam and Jesus joined the FCC effort, getting a taste of the physics and detector challenges that lie beyond the LHC. If you want to learn more about their projects, you can find their final reports.
Of course, a summer at CERN is about more than sitting in front of a computer. Our lunches quickly became an opportunity to exchange stories about weekend adventures: trains to new cities, hikes in the Alps, trips around Europe, and the occasional discussion about which destination was really the best one. And then there was sailing on Lac Leman, our recurring event, and from their looks, everyone had a good time!
We also managed to introduce them to one of the more important areas of European research: Swiss food. A dinner with Myriam Zuber from the MISTI program, brought everyone together around a proper fondue and creme Gruyère with meringue. Photographic evidence from Hayden, provided!
We took the opportunity to arrange a tour of Antimatter Factory (AD hall (Building 193), giving everyone a chance to see another fascinating corner of CERN’s research firsthand, including one of the oldest control rooms at CERN.
The summer went by quickly. Our students brought new ideas, lots of questions, and plenty of enthusiasm to the group — and in return, hopefully left with a better understanding of what doing particle physics can look like. So, to Warren, Hayden, Liam, and Jesus: thank you for a great summer! We hope you enjoyed the physics, the lake, the fondue, the European adventures .