Swedish Government Minister at CERN

The Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research recently visited CERN.

The Swedish Minister was greeted by Swedish scientists working at CERN.

Lars Leijonborg, the Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research, was welcomed to CERN by Director-General Robert Aymar on 10 March. After an introduction to the Laboratory’s activities, the Minister was given guided tours of the control room, the ATLAS surface hall and experiment cavern and the adjoining LHC tunnel.

Mr Leijonborg was then greeted by Swedish scientists and given an overview of the Swedish research programme at CERN. Five Swedish university groups are taking part in LHC research. Swedish universities are notably involved in the manufacture of parts for the sub-detectors of ATLAS and ALICE. The Swedish population at CERN includes 59 researchers, 38 doctoral students and 7 technical engineers. "For us, Swedish physicists, CERN plays an essential role in our experimental research", explains Tord Ekelof, Professor of particle physics, Head of the Uppsala University ATLAS Group and Chairman of the National LHC Consortium.

Signing of the Swedish Computing Memorandum of Understanding. Pär Omling, Director-General of the Swedish Research Council (left), and Jos Engelen, CERN’s Chief Scientific Officer.

Another of the day’s events was the signing of the Swedish Computing Memorandum of Understanding by Jos Engelen, CERN’s Chief Scientific Officer, and Pär Omling, Director-General of the Swedish Research Council.