On Saturday 7 October, CERN inaugurated its brand-new centre for education and outreach: CERN Science Gateway. An inauguration ceremony was held in its 900-seat auditorium, attended by the President of the Swiss Confederation, delegates from CERN's Member and Associate Member States, the project's donors, invited guests and the press. On Sunday 8 October, CERN Science Gateway welcomed its first visitors, who explored the exhibitions, state-of-the-art lab facilities, enjoyed the sunshine on the piazza and took a break in the Big Bang Café.
Scroll through the photos below to see some of the highlights from the opening weekend.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12 p.m. on Saturday, officially declaring CERN Science Gateway open. From left to right: Eliezer Rabinovici, President of the CERN Council, Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation, Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General, John Elkann, Chair of Stellantis, and Renzo Piano, Architect of CERN Science Gateway. (Image: CERN)
Renzo Piano, Architect of CERN Science Gateway, and John Elkann, Chair of Stellantis exploring the “Discover CERN: Accelerate” exhibition. This model of the LHC is tactile, allowing visitors with visual impairments to explore the LHC. (Image: CERN)
Throughout Saturday, high-school students from the CERN Solvay camp and children of the CERN community enthusiastically guided all guests, explaining the science in the exhibitions and demonstrating the new lab facilities. At the end of the day, they were invited up on stage and thanked for their hard work. (Image: CERN)
A student demonstrates a hand-on activity in the new lab facilities to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset. (Image: CERN)
Three high-level ministerial roundtables took place in the auditorium on Saturday afternoon, where delegates from CERN Member States and Associate Member States discussed the importance of STEM education. (Image: CERN)
Children demonstrate how magnetic fields in accelerators work in this hands-on experiment in the “Discover CERN: Accelerate” exhibition. (Image: CERN)
The piazza on Saturday afternoon. To the left is the auditorium, to the right is the new visitor reception, CERN shop and the Big Bang café. Solar panels on the roof and trees around the site help to make the buildings carbon-neutral. (Image: CERN)
Entertainment on the sunny piazza on Saturday. (Image: CERN)
Visitors on Sunday 8 October explore the “Discover CERN: Collide” exhibition. This installation shows how CERN processes data, against a backdrop of one of the LHC detectors. (Image: CERN)
Visitors on Sunday 8 October explore the “Our Universe: Exploring the Unknown” exhibition. This exhibition showcases four artworks from former Arts-at-CERN artists, inspired by physics concepts and inviting visitors to contemplate the Universe. (Image: CERN)
Visitors on Sunday 8 October explore the “Quantum World” exhibition. Various interactive games demonstrate the bizarre behaviours of particles at the quantum level. (Image: CERN)
The opening weekend was a success thanks to the help of Science Gateway volunteers from across the CERN Community. Want to enjoy all the facilities that Science Gateway has to offer? It’s still not too late to become a CERN guide.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12 p.m. on Saturday, officially declaring CERN Science Gateway open. From left to right: Eliezer Rabinovici, President of the CERN Council, Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation, Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General, John Elkann, Chair of Stellantis, and Renzo Piano, Architect of CERN Science Gateway. (Image: CERN)
