This year, in the context of the physics masterclasses coordinated by the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG), CERN again welcomed more than 80 pupils from local secondary schools to spend a day learning about research and particle physics.

The pupils began by getting to grips with the fundamental interactions at work in the Universe and the basic building blocks of matter. Then, during a guided tour, scientists from the ALICE, ATLAS and CMS experiments explained how particle detectors, which allow us to observe these things, work. Next, the pupils got a taste of what it’s like to be a researcher collaborating with CERN, analysing data from the LHC experiments and, later that day, in the manner of an international research collaboration, sharing their results via videoconference with participating schools all over the world.

Every February and March, some 13 000 secondary school pupils from 60 countries attend particle physics masterclasses held at around 225 universities and research centres.

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