Thirty students in Years 10-14 have recently travelled to Geneva on a fantastic educational visit to the world renowned CERN Laboratory, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

The trip gave students access to the working environment of the top Physicists and Engineers in the world, which was both a privilege and an extraordinary experience for our aspiring Scientists.

Founded in 1954, CERN houses the world's most complex scientific instruments, which are used by Physicists to study particles. Purpose-built accelerators and detectors force particles to collide at close to the speed of light and this process allows scientists to observe and analyse how particles interact, which provides a valuable insight into the fundamental laws of nature.

As part of the CERN tour, students had the opportunity to stand alongside the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, consisting of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way. The sheer scale of this world-famous instrument was awe-inspiring in itself, but seeing it first hand helped to put previous learning into context.

Students also had time to enjoy a little sight-seeing with a fully narrated boat cruise on the beautiful Lake Geneva, before visiting the ICT Discovery Centre for a guided tour and thought-provoking presentation on international collaboration in the sector of ICT.

The presentation explored how communication technologies are used at an international level within the United Nations, and the ambitions for developing standards, attributing satellite orbits and for helping countries develop. There was also some free time to explore the museum and enjoy the many interactive exhibitions which are designed to educate visitors on the evolution and future of ICT.