Museum professionals meet at CERN

As part of the World Year of Physics, CERN organised a day of meetings attended by professionals from French and Swiss science museums.


The poster for the Einstein exhibition that will open in Bern on 16 June 2005.

Around thirty professionals from science museums, as well as representatives of France's Office de Coopération et d'Information Muséographiques (OCIM) and the Suisse Romande Réseau Science et Cité, congregated at CERN on 10th February with the purpose, among other things, of exchanging ideas and information on proposed exhibitions for the World Year of Physics. "We thought that it would be a good idea to start the World Year of Physics with a meeting at CERN that could provide inspiration for future exhibitions", explains Emma Sanders, Head of the Visits Service and Microcosm.

Many scientific museums are trying to improve the way they cover contemporary science, and CERN is an ideal place to observe science in the making. Other goals of the meeting were to strengthen links between French and Swiss museums, gather opinions on CERN's own exhibition projects and present French and Swiss projects for the World Year of Physics.

Following a tour of the ATLAS cavern, the Globe of Science and Innovation and the Microcosm exhibition, then a meeting with physicists, the participants got together to discuss their projects.

Gabriele Keck, Deputy Director of the Bern History Museum, presented a programme for the World Year of Physics which will be centred on the life of Einstein. "In 1905, when he was living in Bern, Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity and the quantum theory of light, which resulted in a new understanding of the Universe", explains Gabriele Keck. "Bern therefore intends to honour Einstein with an extensive cultural, scientific and artistic programme". To celebrate the hundredth anniversary of this annus mirabilis for physics, the Bern History Museum is preparing an exhibition entitled "Meeting Einstein - Experiencing Physics". Objects, documents, films, stage shows, experiments and installations giving insight into the life and works of Einstein will occupy a floor space of 2500 square metres. The exhibition, which is to open on 16 June, will be accompanied by a physics theme park covering 12,000 square metres.

At the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris, a "Sciences Actualités" exhibition will open on 8 March. Visitors will find an exhibition on Einstein's legacy and discover the results of a survey conducted among those working in fundamental research today. In parallel, a series of lectures already underway will culminate on 12 and 13 March with a weekend entirely devoted to Albert Einstein. The programme will include a round-table discussion, films, a play, readings and other events.