How did you decide to apply for the summer student programme?

I have seen an advertisement of the programme 1 year ago on facebook. I didn't apply at that time but I promised myself that next year I am definetly applying. So here I am. I did not tell a lot of people that I was going to apply before the deadline. Of course I've made it well-known once I got accepted. 

What is your previous background?

I am studying physics, so I've had the general knowledge of particle physics, not very deep though. I think of myself more as a theoretician, but I think it is a really once in a lifetime opportunity to work in CERN. I have visited CERN just one month before the summer school and it was very exciting to know that I would be back in one month.  

Tell us a few words about your project.

I am working for the LHCb experiment, which is specialized for physics of b quarks. My group wants to make a discovery of the Higgs boson through the bb~ decay mode. It is the main decay channel, but it has a lot of background noise, which makes it a very challenging goal. But as said before, LHCb is specialized for b quarks which makes it competent for this task.
I am testing b-taggers; variables which tell if there is a b-quark in a jet. Efficiency of b tagger is very relevant for discovery of Higgs, because there is a lot of noise in that decay channel, so you have to know reliability of your tools.

Is your experience so far close to what you were expecting?

My experience is  much better than what i was expecting; and had already very high expectations. What impressed me the most were all this wonderful students from all over the world. We are spending a lot of time together and we came very close.

From professional point of view the most impressive fact is that CERN is such a huge collaboration and it works despite of all the differences between people involved. Also detectors are very big.

Did you have time for travelling around Switzerland?

I have travelled to some places in Switzerland and France, and I liked them a lot. 
Of course these visits are unimaginable without new friends I've made in CERN. We are also involved in other activities, as singing along guitar in the middle of the night, and getting familiar with culinary specialities from all over the world.

From my time as a summer student at CERN I will certainly remember...

VAMOS FUEGO! HAIDE FOC! IMOS LUME! ANDIAMO FOUCO! VAMOS FOGO! GREMO OGENJ!