LinkedIn Newsletter: Long shutdowns and long-term impact

A chain of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) dipole magnets at the end of the previous long shutdown, Long Shutdown 2 | Photograph: Samuel Joseph Hertzog

Wherever you are, we hope you are enjoying the summer so far and taking some time to rest and recharge.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is now doing the same, having officially shut down yesterday for major upgrades (Long Shutdown 3), which will transform it into the High-Luminosity (HiLumi) LHC.

Since 2010, the LHC has reached a number of remarkable milestones, including, most notably, the discovery of the Higgs boson. Higher luminosity will enable physicists to gather an even greater quantity of data, allowing them to study new processes and increasing the potential for new scientific discoveries after 2030.

While the accelerator is on pause, an especially busy period lies ahead at CERN with major installations for the upgrade getting underway. CERN is a one-of-a-kind facility and many of the technologies and materials developed, designed and produced at the laboratory contribute to science and industry worldwide in innovative ways.

Summer will also be a dynamic period for the CERN & Society Foundation and so, in this month’s newsletter, we thought we would take the chance to pause, reflect on the impact that has been achieved so far, and look ahead to what lies on the horizon.

What’s been happening

We’re grateful to all the supporters who help build the foundations to bridge science and society.

• Arts at CERN has announced the winners of two residencies, Collide Stockholm and Connect India, while Monika Emmanuelle Kazi is currently in residence at the laboratory for Resonance.
• The CERN Science Gateway has marked two very important milestones: 900,000 visitors from around the world and its 1,000th science show since opening in 2023. Want to know what all the fuss is about? Plan a visit!
• CineGlobe Film Festival returned to the CERN campus, with 2,500 visitors over four days gathering to explore new perspectives through the power of storytelling.
• The April edition of the CERN-Solvay student camp welcomed 35 students representing 39 nationalities to CERN for a week of full immersion in science and the opportunity to exchange with peers in a truly international setting.
• The Hands-on Physics (HOP) programme wrapped up with great success, training over 2,000 teachers in cutting-edge physics teaching practices.
• TIMEPIX@school launched its call for proposals, an opportunity for high-school students to get their hands on the same technology used by Artemis II astronauts. Check out whether your institution could be a part of the magic!

What we’re looking forward to

Plenty of education and outreach projects get into full swing over summer.

• The CERN Festival Programme has already made its first stop of the season – appearing at KIMIKO in Germany. Next up: Colours of Ostrava (15-18 July, Czech Republic), Smukfest (2-9 August, Denmark), Shambala (28-30 August, UK) and Revenidas (10-13 September, Spain).
• In August, the winners of Beamline for Schools (BL4S) will travel to their respective labs to perform their experiments. Two teams – “attoPION” (India) and “PionIST 3” (Türkiye) will join us at CERN, while “Mobile MIPs” (UK) and “Centauri Stars” (USA) will use the beamline at DESY and “POLARIS” (Bangladesh) at ELSA at The University of Bonn.
• The Non-Member State Summer Student Programme gets underway this month, with students from around the world coming to the lab to join in on the work of a CERN team.
• The 2025/2026 Public Events season, Generation Higgs, hosts its next event: “Future Explorers” – bringing together scientists, engineers, astronauts, sailors and artists to explore the frontiers of the unknown. Join us on 11 July at the CERN Science Gateway.

None of this is made possible without our community of supporters, whose donations fuel our mission of connecting CERN with society.

You too can contribute to individual projects or to the Foundation as a whole.

Or if you would simply like to learn more, visit our website.

This article is taken from our LinkedIn newsletter!