The University of Liverpool welcomed the next generation of scientists and computing specialists from around the world as it hosted the 48th CERN School of Computing.
Held from 23 August to 5 September, the prestigious international school was organised by CERN in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and brought around 60 students and 10 instructors to the city for two weeks of intensive learning, collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The CERN School of Computing has been training scientists in advanced scientific computing since 1970. Hosted in a different European country each year, it brings together postgraduate engineers and scientists from universities and research institutes across the world, helping to build the knowledge, skills and international connections needed for increasingly data-intensive science.
This year’s programme, themed Scientific Computing: Theory and Practice, included more than 50 hours of lectures and hands-on exercises spanning three core areas, including physics computing, software engineering and data technologies.
The school formally opened on Monday 24 August, with CERN Director-General Professor Mark Thomson among those attending the first day. Professor Thomson, a British experimental particle physicist, said:
“There was a real sense of excitement and anticipation in the room during the opening session, and with good reason, as particle physics is one of the most highly demanding computing environments out there.”
Over the course of the programme, participants had the opportunity to learn from experts, develop practical computing skills and exchange ideas with fellow early-career scientists from across the international research community.
Hosting the School built on the University of Liverpool’s longstanding relationship with CERN, which stretches back more than 70 years. Liverpool researchers were involved in some of CERN’s earliest experiments and today continue to play leading roles across particle physics, nuclear physics and accelerator science.
Dr David Hutchcroft, from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Physics and local organiser of the School, said:
“I have been impressed by the hard work of the students, who have very quickly been presented a lot of high-level computing material and can demonstrate they have understood it. I wish them well for the final exam on the last day, also in the traditional football tournament that follows..”
University researchers contribute to major experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, including ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE, combining expertise in areas such as detector technologies, data analysis and accelerator science to explore some of the most fundamental questions about our universe.
Bringing the CERN School of Computing to Liverpool provided a further opportunity to strengthen these international connections, while enabling early-career scientists to learn, collaborate and build relationships with experts and peers from across the global research community.
The University of Liverpool’s Particle Physics frontier drives innovation in instrumentation and analysis. We develop cutting-edge detector technology for major experiments at facilities like CERN and Fermilab as well as provide expert analysis to uncover new physics and deepen our understanding of the universe’s smallest elements. Watch this video to find out more.