At the CERN & Society Foundation, our purpose is to support and promote the mission of CERN, and disseminate its benefits to the wider public. Through private funding, we carry out projects in key areas of Education & Outreach, Knowledge & Innovation, and Culture & Creativity. We partner with various trusts, foundations, companies and individual donors to make these projects possible.

Michael Paulson, a retiree from the USA, has recently joined the CERN & Society Foundation’s family as a legacy donor, bequeathing a generous amount for the Non-Member States Summer Student Programme.

A few years ago, as Michael was getting ready to go to Mont Blanc for a hike, his back flared up with pain, eventually needing two surgeries. During his recovery period, he spent a lot of time reading books and watching videos on physics, discovering a passion for CERN.

He learnt about the Non-Member States Summer Student Programme that is supported by the CERN & Society Foundation and was thrilled at the concept: “CERN has created a summer programme that nurtures hundreds of brilliant young people every year. It allows them to come together from all over the world despite their economic limitations.”

Michael strongly believes in the importance of supporting science and scientific development. “Lately I have realised that we take science for granted, that scientific knowledge is something we could have opinions on. However it is the opposite of what science is! That's why I think it’s time we understand how important it is to support science and to encourage scientific thinking in society.”

We are proud to count Michael as a member of the CERN & Society Foundation’s family and we are grateful for his support to the CERN mission. It is thanks to valued donors like him that we can pave the way for a future in which science and technology will contribute to a better world.

Legacy gifts enable individuals to create a powerful philanthropic heritage by passing over their values and making a direct impact on the causes important to them. If you too, like Michael, would like to be by the side of CERN forever, to have a lasting impact on society, learn more about the CERN & Society Foundation’s legacy programme, or contact the CERN Partnerships & Fundraising Section.

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Read the full version of this article on the CERN & Society Foundation website.