CERN Alumni Weekly News | Experiential involvement, Spotlight: Matteo Di Cosmo, Upcoming events, Ugo Amaldi’s Symposium, NA61/SHINE collaboration

Published on March 31, 2025

The CERN Alumni Network offers many ways to stay connected, and experiential involvement is one of the most enriching. Whether through mentorship, events, or learning resources, there’s always a chance to grow and engage: https://alumni.cern/news/2579324

This week, we feature Matteo Di Cosmo in our CERN Alumni Creatives series. Matteo turned his passion for music into a fascinating career designing musical instruments, particularly synthesizers, and he is now working on innovative designs using FPGA technology—a skill he developed at CERN: https://alumni.cern/news/1662601

We have several exciting events coming up:

  • Pix4D Virtual Company Showroom - 10 April, 11:00 CET, hybrid - come in person or tune in online to discover job opportunities at Pix4D - a global leader in photogrammetry software based in Lausanne, Switzerland: https://alumni.cern/events/176646.
  • News from the Lab | Introduction and Status Report on the HL-LHC Project - 10 April, 18:00 CET, online -  join to gain insights into how CERN is preparing for its next decade of discoveries: https://alumni.cern/events/175910. 

We are happy to announce two upcoming regional groups events: 

  • The Athens CERN Alumni Group will host its first meeting of 2025 on 10 April from 17:30 to 20:30 CEST, inviting members to connect over drinks near Agia Paraskevi Metro: https://alumni.cern/events/176200. 
  • The Costa Rica Group is ready to kick off! Join its inaugural event on 4–5 May at the Hotel Occidental El Tucano and Spa: https://alumni.cern/topics/49398/events/175322.

Ready, set, go! Registrations for the CERN Relay Race are open: participate virtually, no matter where you are in the world, and join this dynamic tradition: https://alumni.cern/events/176097.

On 4 April, we celebrate Ugo Amaldi’s 90th birthday with a symposium honouring his career and contributions to hadron therapy and cancer treatment: https://alumni.cern/events/175109. 

Delve into the future of AI with a discussion on the risks and potential of superintelligent agents on 3 April: https://alumni.cern/events/175556.

Surprising results from the NA61/SHINE collaboration reveal unexpected asymmetries between up and down quarks, pointing to gaps in our understanding of particle physics: https://home.cern/news/news/physics/symmetry-between-and-down-quarks-more-broken-expected.

Finally, an update from the LHC: commissioning for 2025 is well underway, though some challenges will slightly delay the restart. Read the latest Accelerators Report: https://home.cern/news/news/accelerators/accelerator-report-lhc-commissioning-well-track-challenges-lie-ahead.

Other news

Grow, Learn, Connect: Experiential Opportunities for CERN Alumni

March 28, 2025
The CERN Alumni Network (CAN) offers a variety of opportunities for alumni to stay connected and develop professionally through experiential involvement (relating to, derived from, or providing experience). By participating in events, courses, and mentorship programmes, alumni can continue to benefit from CERN’s community while gaining new perspectives and skills.

CERN Alumni Spotlight: Jim Burt - Smooth Operator - Computing at CERN

April 1, 2025
Smooth Operator - Computing at CERN in the 1960s Jim Burt’s journey to CERN began in the early 1960s in Blackpool, Northwest England. Leaving school at 16, he entered the workforce as a junior clerk with British Railways, transitioning to the UK Civil Service as computing began to emerge as a Computer Operator in 1964.  In 1965, while working for a UK insurance company, Jim came across an advertis