My name is Raul Richard Stein and this is a scenic depiction of me jumping into a summer internship at CERN with a mere Bachelor's degree in physics as my safety rope. I come from Estonia but completed my studies in the UK, at the University of York. Previously, I have focused on biophysics with very little exposure to high energy physics and it has been a very challenging and rewarding experience as I have learned a myriad of new concepts and found many new friends. I was assigned to the ATLAS group where I worked with simulations on investigating the performance of the EM calorimeter of the Future Circular Collider.

My objective was to write software that would assess the ability to discriminate between pions and photons to potentially improve the detection of a Higgs boson. Most of my time was dedicated to learning the technical skills and software to complete the assignment but I also thoroughly enjoyed the lecture programme. I feel that I had a great balance between physics and programming.

Apart from the studentship there were many opportunities for travelling in Switzerland which is very rich in nature, experiences, and fun. The highlights would have to be jumping down 100m into a gorge in Grindelwald, riding a scooter down the mountains in Adelboden, or hiking through the Gorges de l'Areuse. I am very honoured to have been a part of the 2018 CERN summer students and I can confidently say it has been the greatest summer that a physics student can ask for.