Forging ties between young People from CERN and ESA

The CERN Student Club (CSC) is the official club for the community of young people at CERN. In addition to organizing regular activities for its members, the club serves as a platform for young people to come together and meet people from other backgrounds. On 11 and 12 April, the network for young people from the European Space Agency (YoungESA) organized an excursion to CERN, in which more than 30 young researchers participated. The CERN Student Club was happy to host several activities for the members of the two communities.

 

“One of the most amazing things about being a young researcher is the boundless opportunities for meeting people from all around the world, whether for the exchange of research ideas or for social purposes”, says Yi Ling Hwong, a member of the CMS experiment and Vice-president of the CERN Student Club. “In a place like CERN such occasions are abundant but this was the first time that members of the CERN and ESA clubs for young people met to get acquainted with each other in an informal atmosphere”.

An evening out was organized by the Student Club on Sunday 11 April, the main theme being to mingle and to share. “It was not hard to get the people from both groups to warm to each other, despite sometimes being total strangers to the other’s field of expertise or background”, confirms Yi Ling Hwong. “Throughout the evening, it was repeatedly remarked upon how CERN and ESA share a striking resemblance in many aspects – from unique fields of research in subjects that are sometimes regarded as ‘lofty’ and unconventional, to the multicultural working environment and the perks and quirks that arise from it”.

The following day, members of both groups met up again for lunch once those from the ESA group had concluded their tour of CERN. The guests were visibly impressed by what they had seen at CERN, as reflected by a comment from one of the YoungESA members, Ignacio Clerigo: “Do you realize that what you are doing here will potentially change the history of mankind as we know it so far?”

The visit from the YoungESA group to CERN was a short but fruitful one, laying an important foundation for the community of young people at CERN to pursue similar activities in the future. “Besides the exchange of valuable knowledge and professional experience, it also brought new ideas and venture opportunities for each of the young individuals who took part in the activities, and this is the epitome of Friendship through Science”, says Yi Ling Hwong.

A reciprocal visit by the CERN Student Club to ESA is already being planned.

If you want to join the CERN Student Club's activities, please visit: http://cern.ch/student-club or contact student-club@cern.ch.

by CERN Bulletin