Where dreamers become innovators

The Cern Society Foundation and Rolex are working hand-in-hand to spark the spirit of scientific exploration in young people and new generations

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When Japanese high school student Yuzuka Sasaki got to spend two weeks last year at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, commonly known as Cern, in Switzerland, it was a dream come true.

"It was my first time out of Japan, and I was very excited to be there. It was like being a scientist for two weeks, and that is the thing I always wanted to do," she recalls.

"We were learning many things, like measuring cosmic rays and using Cern's data acquisition system, but also making mistakes, talking with researchers, and being allowed to play and discover."

Yuzuka was among three teams of high school students that had won the annual Beamline for Schools competition. It is organised by the Cern & Society Foundation, Cern's outreach centre, to encourage young people's interest in science, and supported by Rolex as part of its longstanding partnership with Cern.

Teams of high school students propose an experiment they want to perform at a beamline, which is part of a particle accelerator. The three best proposals win a trip to Cern or the German Electron Synchrotron, also commonly known as Desy, to carry them out.

Besides Yuzuka's team, Sakura Particles, the other two winners were Team Mavericks from Estonia; and Team Speeders from the US.