Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO Deputy Director-General for Programmes, speaking at CERN during the second edition of the Sparks Forum exploring future technologies for health. (Image: CERN)
CERN Science Gateway will be the flagship venue for visitors from all over the world wishing to learn more about the Laboratory and its work. The public events programme will aim to create engaging content and experiences, ranging from talks to films and dance or music performances, all built around a seasonal programme that will establish CERN Science Gateway as a scientific reference in the wider cultural scene, both locally and further afield.
At present, CERN's Globe of Science and Innovation hosts events attended primarily by the local public. However, with the opening of the new CERN Science Gateway facilities in October - and its auditorium seating up to 900 people - CERN aims to broaden its reach, not only in terms of audience numbers, but also in terms of diversity: age, geographical distribution and interests. By collaborating and co-creating events with other museums, science centres, cultural centres and educational networks, we aim to reach a range of audiences: from families, whether local or visiting tourists, to more specialised groups such as the high-energy physics (HEP) community, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students, alongside the general public and our neighbours in the local communities.
Overall, the public events programme at CERN Science Gateway will aim to deliver one event per month (with the exception of December and the summer months), with a different theme each season. "The chosen themes aim to address a topic that aligns with CERN's mission and is relevant to society", says Claudia Marcelloni, head of public events programming.
This will be achieved through the gradual implementation of an ambitious seasonal programme, with most events falling under a thematic proposal, while leaving space for spontaneous and recurring events that CERN traditionally hosts or participates in, such as Dark Matter Day and CineGlobe.
In addition to the CERN Science Gateway programme, we will continue to organise off-site public events in the local area in both host countries, accessible to the public in their own venues and tailored to individual communities.
Specifically, this rhythm is expected to begin in earnest during the 2024-2025 season, as 2024 will be mainly focused on CERN's 70th anniversary celebrations. In the meantime, four public events will take place in November 2023:
3 November: Dark Matter Day lecture by Nobel laureate Michel Mayor
9 November: CineGlobe - "Mauvais Je(ux)", an experimental theatre performance created by the Laokoon collective.
16 November: Launch of the third edition of Sparks - Future Quantum
27 November: Talk by Avi Loeb, author of Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars
You will need to register to attend the upcoming events. All information will be available at: https://voisins.web.cern.ch/en/events
The goal of CERN's public events programme is to further CERN's mission to establish the Organization as a key place to convey the importance and relevance of fundamental science in creating knowledge, bringing people and nations together through peaceful collaboration and driving innovation collectively.
