CERN Alumni Awardees 2021 - Pedro Paul Alvarez
At CERN: 2012 Administrative Student
Now: Communication Consultant ⎮ Life Science & Innovation Management
1) What does winning the CERN Alumni award mean to you?
"Far more than receiving one of the coolest awards I’ve ever held, it was also a confirmation that even if I find myself thousands of miles from Geneva, I can continue contributing to a world class community. Tucked away in my office, with a 7 hour time zone difference, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friends and mentors during the awards ceremony. CERN Alumni Second Collisions was a welcome scene since travel restrictions have kept us from meeting in person."
2) How did your CERN experience contribute to your subsequent career, if at all?
"I first arrived at CERN with the focus on supporting the Knowledge Transfer activities within the Life Science team. My first assignment ? Organising the International Conference on Translational Research in Radio-oncology- Physics for Health 2012, but I quickly learned that my job description meant I would liaise with parties with multidisciplinary backgrounds within CERN and externally. I credit this experience with affording me with the skills I needed to partner with various audiences who have differing goals. This is important because as a project advocate, you need to understand how to complement skills in a group. Recently, as part of the Covid-19 response, I’ve partnered with government officials, laboratory test collectors, communication officials, and epidemiologists in order to stop the spread of infection in my state."
3) Where do you see the value in being an active member of the CERN Alumni Network?
"CERNites are an incredibly talented community. We’ve had this amazing opportunity to contribute to the world’s largest physics laboratory in exchange for experience. But this was not transactional- as a community we continue to pay it forward by supporting non-profits, government organisations, businesses, and the arts with our skills. We have made an intangible impact on the world around us. By supporting the CERN Alumni Network, we are able to see what new paths our fellow colleagues have paved and this is incredibly inspirational for recent graduates who are wondering what is next after their CERN tenure. For instance, the pandemic has interrupted our plans, and in some cases, even set our plans back. The network is a great way to virtually meet others, see how we can reinvent ourselves, and find new meaning in our work."
