CERN inaugurates new Science Gateway, a bridge to the outside world

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The Geneva-area lab that houses the world’s largest atom smasher, known as CERN, has inaugurated a new “Science Gateway” that hopes to make its complex inner workings and the science that drives it comprehensible—and inspiring—to everyone aged 5 and above. Chiefs at the European Organization for Nuclear Research—CERN’s official name—say improvements were needed to better welcome the tens of thousands of tourists who flock to its entrance every year near the French-Swiss border. So, they called in famed architect Renzo Piano, a friend of and fellow Italian to CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti, to design the structure. “With the Science Gateway, we want to expand the opportunities for scientific education that we offer to the public,” explains Gianotti. Entry will be free, and opening times run from Monday through Saturday. One major goal, Gianotti says, was “to infuse everyone who comes here with curiosity and a passion for science and inspire young people to take up careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.” Before, CERN welcomed 150,000 tourists a year—but the “Science Gateway” will balloon capacity to 500,000, says Gianotti. Teenage guides showcase the science behind glitzy, light-infused displays during inauguration day festivities. Drawn to the project, Piano visited the site first. “So, I came to CERN, I went around, down in the large collider. I talked to people, I talked to scientists, and then (it) became clear that those people needed a bridge: a real one, but also a metaphorical one, connecting the world of a scientist with the outside world.” Piano says he was “touched” by the “incredible” work of CERN scientists exploring everything from the tiniest atomic particles to the Big Bang, which helps to understand “that the Planet Earth is a little spaceship on which we are, all of us, embarked.” The “Science Gateway” center is powered by solar panels and is nestled in a wooded area. It features a transparent glass design and a bridge—to symbolize openness and links to the big and the small in science. It houses laboratories, exhibition areas, and an auditorium. This article was provided by The Associated Press.