For one weekend, CERN takes a stand at Geneva’s Nuit de la science

CERN took part in the seventh year of the Nuit de la science on 5-6 July dedicated to the theme of Time. Some 30 000 visitors filed through the 52 stands set up around the Perle du Lac park.

The Geneva ‘Musée d’histoire des sciences’, the heart of the event (Copyright MHS - Photo: Philippe Wagneur).

Two aspects of the LHC were presented in the display. The technical principles on which the machine is based were illustrated using a bell jar, liquid nitrogen and visually striking experiments. Meanwhile, under the heading ‘The Time Machine’, posters and mockups were used to explain the theoretical side of the LHC and its scientific aims.

Benefitting from the adjacent photography exhibition, ‘CERN through the lens of Peter Ginter’, the stand attracted a steady stream of interested visitors, who were not put off by the wet weather. In the opinion of the visitors, this educational combination was an enriching experience that shone a welcome light on a discipline often viewed as inaccessible. For one weekend, visitors were able to share the physicists’ dream.