CERN Accelerating science

     
 

CERN
Bulletin

   
 

ATLAS: Now under new management

On 1 March, the ATLAS Collaboration welcomed a new spokesperson, Dave Charlton (University of Birmingham), and two new deputy spokespersons, Thorsten Wengler (CERN) and Beate Heinemann (University of California, Berkeley and LBNL). The Bulletin takes a look at what’s in store for one of the world’s largest scientific collaborations. >>

Science for a sustainable future

Today we had a visit from Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. This is Mr Ban’s second visit to our laboratory, but his first since CERN was granted Observer status at the United Nations General Assembly last December. It therefore gave us our first opportunity to discuss joint initiatives already under way. >>

LS1 Report: onwards and upwards

For the first time since 2008, engineers have taken most of the LHC’s electromagnetic circuits up to the current needed for magnets to guide beams around the machine at the design energy of 7 TeV. This first phase of intensive tests has been instrumental for the planning of upcoming machine interventions. >>

X(3872): an exotic combination of quarks?

According to the Standard Model of particles, quarks are the smallest building blocks of matter. So far, only quark-antiquark pairs (mesons) and quark triplets (baryons) have been observed. However, over the last few decades, some not-yet-understood states have started to appear in the particle zoo. Their nature is still unclear but the LHCb experiment has now made a big step towards understanding one of them: the X(3872). >>

A new service to ensure that PXI cards perform correctly

The PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) card is an electronic module used in association with a PC to improve the performance of measurement and automation systems. At CERN, many systems use PXI cards. With the long shutdown providing ideal timing, a new interdepartmental initiative has created a PXI card calibration service. Don’t miss out! >>

The "What If?" machine

Which models of Beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics do physicists “prefer” and why? How do these opinions change over time, especially in the light of the LHC results? These were the questions asked and answered by philosopher Arianna Borrelli at her recent presentation: “A philosophical experiment: empirical study of knowledge production at the LHC”. >>

Tree felling: a necessary evil

CERN started a campaign of tree felling in 2010 for safety reasons, and it will continue this year in various parts of the Meyrin site. As in previous years, the trees cut down in 2013 will be recycled and some will be replaced. >>

Building 774: foundation stone in place

On Thursday 28 February, a ceremony was held to lay the foundation stone of Building 774; in attendance were Stéphane Donnot, Sub-Prefect of Gex, Octavio Mestre and Francesco Soppelsa, the building's architects, and Sigurd Lettow, Director of Administration and Infrastructure. >>

ICE-DIP kicks off

Last month, Marie Curie Actions* added a new member to its ranks: ICE-DIP (the Intel-CERN European Doctorate Industrial Program). The programme held its kick-off meeting on 18-19 February in Leixlip near Dublin, Ireland, at Intel’s premises. >>

Cyber-Attacks and the Risks for CERN

In the previous Bulletin, we discussed the cyber-risks for the accelerator complex. However, looking at the broader picture, the cyber-risks for CERN are much more diverse. >>

News from the Library: Knovel trial is approaching!

A trial of Knovel, a web-based application integrating technical information with analytical and search tools, started on 4 March and will finish on 5 April. Knovel is both a platform for e-books and a powerful search engine, allowing users to search the full text, and to extract and exploit numerical data available inside the e-books.  It covers several subject areas of Engineering and Materials Science. >>

Official News

Change of offices for HR Department - disrupted service during the last week of February 2013  
Taxation in Switzerland  
Annual adjustments to 2013 financial benefits   
Adjustment of the Internal Tax Scale  
TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE PERSONNEL: Summer work for children of members of the personnel  

Training and Development

New course “Selecting the best person for CERN”  
Safety Training: places available in March 2013  
Management and communication courses – Places available  

Announcements

Site de Meyrin - Travaux d'abattage d'arbres  
CERN openlab summer student programme  
IMPORTANT: Fluke is recalling Digital Clamp Meters  
Canon multifunction copier machines – now with onsite support!  
Move! Eat better: news  
CERN lends a hand to Collège de Prévessin  

Events

LECTURE CANCELLED - Academic Training Lecture: Implications of LHC Data to New Physics (1/3)  
Blood donation | March 19  

Staff Association

A new logo for the Staff Association  
Cern Women's Club  
Nursery school  
Ensemble pour N'Diago  
Dancing Club  
Offers  
Interfon