Inspiring a generation

The motto of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is ‘Inspire a generation’ so it was particularly pleasing to see science, the LHC and Higgs bosons featuring so strongly in the opening ceremony of the Paralympics last week.

It’s a sign of just how far our field has come that such a high-profile event featured particle physics so strongly, and we can certainly add our support to that motto. If the legacy of London 2012 is a generation inspired by science as well as sport, then the games will have more than fulfilled their mission.

Particle physics has truly inspiring stories to tell, going well beyond Higgs and the LHC, and the entire community has played its part in bringing the excitement of frontier research in particle physics to a wide audience. Nevertheless, we cannot rest on our laurels: maintaining the kind of enthusiasm for science we witnessed at the Paralympic opening ceremony will require constant vigilance, and creative thinking about ways to reach, engage and retain enthusiastic audiences in the future.

Over recent years, CERN has expanded its communications channels to embrace new activities, such as expanding our visits service, providing state-of-the-art exhibitions both on site and off, developing educational programmes for primary schools and teaming up with external partners to launch a residency programme for the arts.  To these, we are now adding another new strand by joining a movement whose motto ‘Ideas worth spreading’ also chimes in with ours. On 3 May 2013, we’ll be holding the first TEDxCERN event, to share the idea that science is an indispensable part of society.

We’ve chosen the theme of ‘Multiplying Dimensions’ for the event because it succinctly encapsulates what we aim to achieve. Our first TEDx event will not be a celebration of particle physics, but rather a festival of science in society. We aim to use the CERN brand as a platform for the engagement of science with society, and that’s why we’re looking for your help. We’d like as many CERN institutes as possible to join us in this adventure, hosting live viewings of TEDxCERN, and we’d like you as individuals to tell us about people from science beyond the realms of particle physics who have inspired you. So I’d like to encourage you all to take a look at the TEDxCERN website, fill in the speaker nomination form, and help us get ready to spread a very good idea on 3 May next year.

Rolf Heuer