Celebrating CERN
Cameras flashed when international guests sailed in from a magnificent row of automobiles and headed towards the reception committee.
This is not the annual Oscar gala but the inauguration ceremony of the Large Hadron Collider, LHC, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instrument, a huge project undertaken by the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN.
The gala was arranged in CERN's own premises, some ten kilometres from Geneva city centre, on 21 October. As if by magic, the simple and plain warehouse halls had been converted into a grand exhibition and ceremony venue. The guests were first led to the specifically mounted LHC exhibition, where the CERN staff elaborated on the project and its various phases. The ceremony culminated in speeches, held by CERN leaders and high-level guests who praised significance of the project. Heads of delegations signed the memorial plate and the signing could be followed on screen in recognition of the project's international and unifying nature. The gala ended in an enchanting atmosphere, conjured up by an audiovisual concert, Origins, by Orchestre de la Suisse romande, featuring National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting's imagery and the music of Philip Glass.
The Finnish delegation at the LHC facility.
Copyright©CERN
Invitations to the ceremony had been sent to Heads of State of CERN Member States. Finally, Swiss President Pascal Couchepin, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and a number of ministers responsible for education and science issues were present. The Finnish delegation was led by State Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Esko Hamilo from the Prime Minister's Office.
In his speech, CERN Director General Robert Aymar referred to the event noting that it marks a new era in the history of scientific inventions. The large hydron collider, LHC, is the biggest and most complex scientific instrument ever built in the world. Its design and construction has lasted as long as about twenty years.
The accelerator has been housed underground in a 27-km circumference tunnel which crosses the border between Switzerland and France. In a huge facility in the tunnel, protons, small particles with an electric charge in the nucleus of an atom, are fired into the speed of light and collided. As a result of the collisions, even smaller particles are identified thanks to complicated measurement methods and they contribute to the efforts to explain the origin of the universe and its most intricate secrets, responding to questions such as what is matter, what is dark matter, what causes gravity. As Christopher Columbus' expeditions, the LHC is based on the belief of science to pursue ahead and find something new.
Copyright©CERN
Finland has given a major contribution to the construction of the LHC thanks to the work of the Finnish staff of CERN and the man years in the scientific community as well as the supplies of Finnish industry. During the special event for the Finnish LHC delegation, the participants heard that Finland is the third biggest net winner after the host countries, Switzerland and France. The value of the orders received by Finnish industry exceeds the amount of the membership fee, being nearly double the value.
However, it is no less important to note the scientific benefits of the cooperation to both CERN and Finland. In addition to graduate education, activities are arranged in the form of camps, for example, to upper secondary school students. The Helsinki Institute of Physics, which is responsible for the cooperation between Finland and CERN, has an office in the organization's premises. Finland's Permanent Mission in Geneva cooperates with the Institute of Physics and the Finnish staff of CERN, for example, when high-level visits are arranged.
The gala in CERN continued by a "molecular menu" reception, created by a world-famous Italian chef, and later by a party for the staff. The guests headed home waiting for the prospect that the LHC project may some day widen our knowledge of the secret of life even further.
The Permanent Mission wants to express warm thanks to the following key persons responsible for the visit of the Finnish delegation: Marika Flygar, Markus Nordberg, Dan-Olof Riska, Jorma Tuominiemi and Aleksi Vuorinen. CERN VIP service and all representatives of CERN staff are also acknowledged for their valuable contribution to the success of the event.
Photos: Markus Nordberg