Celebrating World Teachers’ Day at CERN

CERN celebrated teachers’ key contribution to society with a stand-up show and a panel discussion at the Globe of Science and Innovation

Celebrating World Teachers’ Day at CERN

In a panel discussion, Charlotte Warakaulle, David Fairweather, Edda Gschwendtner and Matt Parker (from left to right) talked about the role of teachers in inspiring students to pursue scientific studies. (Image: J. Wiener/CERN)

On 5 October, a room full of people at the CERN Globe of Science and Innovation celebrated the World Teachers’ Day 2017.

The event had a special guest – Matt Parker, a famous stand-up comedian and mathematics communicator, who shared tips and tricks on how to engage teenagers with mathematics. Matt explained how important it is to find new and creative ways to thrill students and encourage them to view science from a different perspective.

Much to the audience’s amusement, Matt shared the stage with a three-volume print of the world’s largest prime number ever found, which contains more than 22 million digits.

A panel discussion moderated by Matt followed the humorous presentation. Charlotte Warakaulle (CERN’s Director for International Relations), Edda Gschwendtner (a lecturer on the CERN Teacher Programmes and the AWAKE Spokesperson), and David Fairweather (a teacher) took part and engaged in a creative dialogue with the audience. Together, they discussed the value of teachers today and their key role in inspiring their students to pursue scientific studies, the challenges that the rapid development of technology brings into the teaching process and the need to adapt, and CERN’s work to support and empower teachers and promote scientific education.

The event was organised as part of the ongoing effort to highlight the importance and value of teachers in ensuring quality education and training for the next generation of scientists and engineers, one of CERN’s core missions and an essential part of the strategic focus of the CERN & Society Foundation