70,000 Visitors See Giant Particle Detectors at CERN Open Days
Over the weekend, CERN opened its doors to the public in the CERN Open Days 2013. The event saw some 70,000 people visit over 40 activities on the surface across CERN's Meyrin and Prevessin sites, with 20,000 people visiting CERN's underground installations. Highlights for visitors included seeing one of the large detectors on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – ALICE, ATLAS, CMS or LHCb; driving robotic arms and forklift trucks; or even making superconducting magnets levitate in the air.
A strong team of 2300 CERN volunteers acted as guides and helpers, explaining the wide variety of activities at CERN – from particle physics and computing to logistics and firefighting services – to enthusiasts young and old. And some installations were new to even the most seasoned CERN physicists: "I managed to visit just about everywhere, and wherever I went, I saw enthusiastic CERNois engaging with equally enthusiastic visitors," says Director-General Rolf Heuer in this thank you message to CERN staff and volunteers the following day. "It was a truly amazing event, showcasing the great diversity of activity at CERN. Even I discovered aspects that were new."
At the international village, visitors could get all the latest about CERN's relations with International Organizations. Thirteen international organizations participated (including UNOG, UNESCO, UNCTAD, ESA, ESO, WIPO, ILO, ITU, UNITAR, UNDP, IRENA, SESAME), informing visitors about "International Geneva" with one-to-one talks and a programme of lectures.
For one amazing weekend "Our Universe was Yours". Thanks for stopping by! -- CERN
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