Students’ Swiss science adventure

Young scientists from Newcastle enjoyed the adventure of a lifetime when they visited the famous European Organisation for Nuclear Research CERN laboratory during a trip to Geneva.

The group from St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School included 17 sixth formers, along with 14 students from Year 13, and three from Year 12, and was led by Head of Physics Clayton Scott, with support from Head of Biology Adam Edmond, and Physics Teacher Helen Forster.

It was the first time that the school, which is part of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, had organised a trip to the home of the Hadron Collider on the Franco-Swiss border, where some of the world’s leading research into particle physics takes place.

“The trip had key links to what our Physics and Chemistry students were studying, such as particle physics, matter and antimatter, standard model of particle, fission and fusion, plasma and nuclear physics,” explained Mr Scott. 

Staying at the Meininger Geneva Hostel, the students enjoyed a packed itinerary which included a tour of CERN, as well as a visit to a museum and another pioneering science project.

“Tuesday was a busy day with an early morning trip to the CERN exhibition, where students were able to apply what they had been taught over the course of their A Levels, and see it have real-world applications,” said Mr Scott. 

“We then attended our CERN Tour, where we got a behind-the-scenes tour of CERN, which involved getting up close to the original Cyclotron that had been used when CERN was first started, and also getting to go to the antimatter factory where scientists are producing antimatter and producing full atoms of anti-hydrogen, deuterium and helium to investigate its properties before it annihilates – this was some cutting-edge science.”

“Wednesday was our final day, with another early morning start, heading out to the International Red Cross Museum to see how they have supported those involved in war throughout history, and learning of the origins of the Red Cross,” he continued.

“We were then picked up by coach and headed to the Swiss Plasma Centre, which included a talk and lecture on what plasma is and how scientists are aiming to carry out cold fusion on Earth.

“Students then got a tour of one of the very few existing cold fusion reactors called a tokamak. Students were able to get right up close to see the actual parts that made it.”

Despite the busy timetable, the group also had the opportunity to explore Lake Geneva, where they sampled local delicacies of crepes and raclette, and visited the JP Morgan investment bank.

“Trips like this are incredibly important, as they help build cultural capital and raise the aspirations of our pupils, and allow pupils to see how their A Level choices can help lead them to careers such as this,” added Mr Scott.

“At CERN, our tour guide instilled the need for our students to want to work at places like CERN, as they will be the next generation of physicists, engineers and chemists, and discoveries won’t be made without them following down that path.

“Many of our students found this particularly engaging, and were asking about apprenticeships and routes to working at CERN.”