Gerry Burns, Physics/Science Department
My recent CPD activities included taking 18 pupils to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. The purpose of this trip was to allow pupils to investigate particle physics at the biggest experiment on the planet. As I hadn’t taken pupils on a trip abroad before, there was great value in understanding how to organise the event in a way that the pupils got the maximum benefit while ensuring all the health and safety needs of the group were met.
Pupils were given a lecture by a Professor who works at CERN before embarking on a guided tour around some of the experimental facilities. We were taken to a facility in France which was used to design and test elements of the experiment before it was put into use. The pupils were then given a tour of the ATLAS facility which is has been at the forefront of the search for the Higgs Boson, and has been in the news most recently for having found what scientists believe to be the particle that gives everything in the Universe mass.
Pupils also had the opportunity to visit two exhibitions on the work undertaken at CERN, and had the opportunity to ask questions of scientists who work at one of the most exciting experiments in the history of Physics. In the evenings pupils also had the opportunity to explore some of central Geneva while having dinner. With the exception of almost being snowed in at the airport on the way home, the trip was a great success which inspired the pupils and gave them a real life look at a working scientific facility.
Geneva 2012 has been one of the best experiences of my time at St Margaet’s Academy. Being given the opportunity to visit what is regarded as the forefront of Science was thrilling. I hope the Science department continue to organise this trip and would encourage other subjects to organise similar trips of their own.
This was a magnificent experience that I will always remember. It was a one in a lifetime oppurtunity filled with great experimental and theoretical physics knowledge that I would not have got the chance to experience in school or this country. The whole trip was excellently planned and should definitely be organised for future year groups.