CERN

It turns out that I have a friend from my undergraduate days (a PhD student now) who is going to be to working at CERN this summer. Being as I'm on this side of the pond anyway, there's a chance that I might take a quick trip out to Geneva after exams.

The LHC had the last replacement magnet put into the tunnel on the 30th of April, but the machine isn't scheduled to start running until the fall. I'm not sure exactly the work that my friend is going to be doing, but I'm sure that, with the kind of place that CERN is and the kind of people it's full of, he will have a very instructive 10 weeks. I'm looking forward to catching up with him, and at the same time marveling at the amazing display of engineering and scientific ingenuity that is the LHC. I hope as well that I'll get the chance to meet some other young physicists from around the world and get their take on things.