Katie Kemp, an 18-year-old from Seattle, wants to know how the universe works. On 22 June, she started working on the answer with help from CERN and Make-A-Wish Switzerland, a foundation that grants wishes to children and young adults in Switzerland living with life-threatening conditions.

“Switzerland has been amazing,” says Katie. “I've met a ton of fantastic people and seen all kinds of fascinating things.”

A serious student who plans to study engineering and physics this autumn at the University of Washington, Katie was particularly fascinated by the magnets in SM-18, as she'd just finished studying electromagnetism at school. Katie was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy when she was 15 years old. She isn’t letting the heart condition stop her from working towards a bright future.

“I want to know how things work,” she says. “Maybe I’ll end up working at CERN.”