The UCLouvain rectoral council visits CERN

At the beginning of this year, the entire rectoral team went on a multi-day work retreat at CERN. This marked the Rector’s second visit to CERN since the start of her mandate in September 2024.
 
In line with UCLouvain’s commitment to sustainability, the team chose to travel by train, thereby reducing the environmental impact of the visit.

During their stay, the council had the opportunity to visit two experiments in which UCLouvain plays a major role: NA62 and CMS. They were welcomed by CERN’s Director for Research and Computing, Gautier Hamel de Monchenault, who presented the organisation’s current missions and strategic objectives, as well as Belgium’s contribution to them.

The NA62 spokesperson,  Giuseppe Ruggiero, then guided the group through the NA62 hall, detailing the goals of the experiment and the technical feats of the detector.

The subsequent visit to the CMS cavern - likely one of the last before the experiment’s decommissioning later this year - was guided by the CMS spokesperson, Anadi Canepa. She highlighted and praised UCLouvain’s long-standing involvement and scientific achievements within the collaboration.

In light of the societal and institutional challenges universities are currently facing, an exchange was also organised with CERN’s Equal Opportunities team.