UCC Physics and Astronomy Society Students Travel to CERN

9 Mar 2026

Over the St. Brigid’s Day long weekend, 35 students from the UCC Physics and Astronomy Society travelled to Geneva for the society’s first international trip in more than ten years. The visit gave students the opportunity to explore one of the world’s leading centres for scientific research and experience modern physics in action.

The group’s journey began at CERN, home to the Large Hadron Collider. Students took part in a guided tour of the ATLAS Experiment, learning how scientists study particle collisions and about the discovery of the Higgs Boson. The visit also included time exploring CERN’s interactive exhibitions and seeing the large-scale computing infrastructure used to process the vast amounts of data produced by experiments at the collider.

On the second day, students visited the History of Science Museum, where they explored exhibits on astrophysics, optics, electricity, and historical scientific instruments. The group then spent the afternoon exploring the city of Geneva.

Reflecting on the trip, Aisling O’Brien, Chair of the UCC Physics and Astronomy Society, said:

“After a jam-packed weekend, we headed back to Ireland in time for lectures to resume on Tuesday, inspired by everything we had seen and experienced at one of the world’s leading centres for scientific discovery. It was a pleasure to lead such an amazing trip.”

The trip reflects the strong engagement between students and the UCC School of Physics, providing opportunities to connect classroom learning with real-world research environments. The visit was organised by the UCC Physics and Astronomy Society, which regularly supports activities that help students engage with the wider physics community and experience world-leading research.