Eleven students from Camborne Science and International Academy visited CERN in Switzerland, home of the Large Hadron Collider.

The students, aged between 15 and 18, flew to Geneva to “experience science at its most spectacular.” Dan Chapman, lead practitioner in science, said: "Visiting a multi-billion pound machine and the most complex experimental facility ever built - this really was a monumental trip for our students.

"During our visit, we discovered how CERN is helping to answer some of humanity's important questions, such as ‘how did the Universe begin?’ and ‘what are the basic building blocks of matter?’

"We arrived at CERN and started looking around their exhibitions before heading to the CERN cafeteria where researchers, academics, engineers and Nobel Prize winners have lunch. This was so exciting, especially when you hear all the languages and accents as scientists from across the world meet together in their shared goal of understanding the universe.”

He added: “After lunch, we had a lecture from a leading scientist about their fundamental research, and went to see the control centre of ATLAS, one of the largest physics experiments in the world and one of the four which are part of the Large Hadron Collider.”

Betty Coupland, of year 12, said: “This trip was absolutely amazing, from the stunning Swiss landscape to CERN and its scientists, it was unforgettable to visit a place where world-changing discoveries are being made.”

In addition to CERN, the four day trip included visits to organisations and attractions such as SIG Energy, the world meteorological organisation, the International Telecommunications Union, the National History Museum, History of Science Museum and the Botanical Gardens.

On a visit to the World Meteorological Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations, the group were met by Senior Scientific Officer; Dr Geir Braathen, who gave an overview of their work. “Dr Braathen explained the evidence for man-made climate change as well as the many possible ca-reer paths for students who are studying sciences” said Mr Chapman. “The talk was so engaging and our students left feeling totally inspired.”

“One of my highlights was visiting the International Telecommunications Union because we were giv-en an insight into the digital divide between developed and developing nations” said Mia Fulcher, in Year 12. “It’s so normal for us to have access to iPads, smartphones and the internet but it’s not like that everywhere in the world. The ITU work to connect people, wherever they live, as everyone has a right to communicate.”

Each evening, students were given activities such as ‘Challenge CERN’ which involved the ‘world’s hardest sudoku’ and prepared and delivered presentations based on what they had discovered during their trip. “We were also given the opportunity to wander around Geneva and do plenty of shopping and exploring!” said Matthew Burgess, Year 11.

“It’s difficult to put into words what an incredibly enriching experience this was for our students” commented Mr Chapman. “They gained a wealth of knowledge and experience to encourage them to embrace the world of science and its many opportunities.”

Principal at CSIA Ian Kenworthy added, “CERN is a tremendously inspiring place where students are given an insight into what science can achieve when people work together. They met and spoke to world-leading experts in their field who are working on experiments at the cutting edge of the STEM subjects.”

“At CSIA, we have always understood the importance of encouraging our young people to think big. This instrumental visit has given students an understanding of how science is helping us to better un-derstand the world in which we live.”