CERN Accelerating science

A word from the Head of the EP department - April 2020

Dear Colleagues, dear Members of the EP Department and CERN Users,

I am writing this editorial while on telework from home. We are in an unprecedented situation, which would have been unimaginable only one month ago. In this month we have seen the Covid-19 crisis developing at a tearing pace. CERN could not remain an isolated island and we were also forced to take actions, which finally led us to bring CERN into “Safe Mode” and most of us being confined at home. Safety of our personnel was always the highest priority and this should also be retained in the period to come. Please obey all the rules defined by the authorities in the country where you are presently staying.

Despite the difficult situation we are trying to keep as many activities ongoing as possible from remote. Communication becomes even more important and I would like to urge you to keep frequent contacts with your colleagues, be it through video conferences, and even better through frequent chats on the telephone. I noticed with pleasure that many EP teams have introduced virtual coffees. This an excellent idea and I suggest to take it as an example. The isolation may be felt to become more and more difficult to bear and we should take preventive measures.

This EP newsletter should bring a bit of normality back into your life. In it you will find many very interesting articles about work in the EP department, as usual spanning a wide range of activities from hardware work on experiments, new physics analysis, the proposal of a new experiment, etc. At the last moment we have included an article on how high energy physics is contributing to fighting the Covid-19 virus. CERN has set up the “CERN against Covid-19” task force, which coordinates projects initiated by many colleagues, including some very interesting initiatives from EP. Despite CERN being more or less closed, we are still welcoming new Fellows and Staff. You may see their profiles at the bottom of the newsletter and I do hope we will meet them in person in the not so far future.

Finally, I would like to say a special thanks to all our colleagues who, despite the obstacles and potential risks, have to continue to come to CERN to execute crucial activities to keep the laboratory and our equipment in a safe mode and to provide the services necessary for all others teleworking from home.

Enjoy reading the newspaper, take care of your families and stay healthy!

Manfred Krammer

EP Department Head