Scientists meeting in Malta for Cern conference
More than 55 world famous scientists from CERN - The European Organisation for Nuclear Research, are meeting in Malta this week for a key symposium on the Large Hadron Collider.
The event is being organised at the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) in Bighi Kalkara.
For the first time in the 26-year history of the largest and most powerful scientific instrument ever constructed by mankind, scientists will officially discuss its technical upgrade.
The upgrade needs to be planned well in advance in the long term strategy of the instrument’s foreseen operational lifetime. Discussions on the LHC upgrade were prompted by the recent successes in the LHC operation. Recently, the LHC broke the world record for particle acceleration by a factor of 3.5.
The LHC is a 27 km machine, 100m underground with a price tag of 6.5 billion Euros. Its aim is to understand the foundations of science which eventually will result in better technology for mankind. CERN is also known to have invented the World Wide Web and the technology behind the medical imaging systems like Positron Emission Tomography known as PET.
Scientists from USA, Europe and Japan are currently in Malta representing other top notch laboratories that collaborate with CERN. These include Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Fermilab, KEK, GSI and Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory.
The event is by invitation only.
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Gilbert Ross
Oct 13th 2010, 16:12
" Its aim is to understand the foundations of science..." ??? I think you meant "to understand the foundations of matter that ultimately constitues the universe and everything around us"
Another point - CERN did not invent the world wide web, it was Sir Tim Berners Lee who at the time was working as an independent contractor with CERN and who was given permission by his boss to work on it as a side-project outside work hours.
Michael Noonan
Oct 13th 2010, 18:27
Maybe they will discuss the biggest problem in science so far ... why are there no protons being formed in the particle accelerators. The energy in the TeV range is far hotter than in the primordial soup and still science produces no dust.
Christian Sciberras
Oct 14th 2010, 03:13
Gilbert Ross - The web was built as a side project to facilitate the sharing of documents between CERN scientists only (at the time).
Tim was an employee at CERN, making "his" invention CERN's.
I think it was awfully nice of CERN to give the technology out for free, unlike others (such as AOL etc).
I think if Tim want to dispute who invented what, he's had ample time to clarify.
But the plaque commemorating the internet at CERN says otherwise.
So in the end it's your word against marble and the creator himself...
By the way, while at it, they should get hold of some of our exceptional PhD-qualified TimesOfMalta bloggers......
Jesmond Micallef
Oct 13th 2010, 15:27
Largest instrument built by "humankind" is more like a better description here, rather mankind. Any women scientists on board ?
I wish these top notch scientists good fun in Malta but also with their own argumentations between themselves ;-))
Any chances of building a particle accelerator the size of an iPod ?
By the way, thank you for the www, as I for one, wouldn't be able to read the news and comment about them here, niether. ;-))
Christian Sciberras
Oct 14th 2010, 03:15
That's funny...never thought of meeting a male feminist...
Christian Sciberras
Oct 14th 2010, 03:17
Why not for the iPhone? I guess there are already several Particle Accelerator apps in the AppStore... Maybe with a farting feature or something.
Jesmond Micallef
Oct 14th 2010, 11:59
Everybody has his function, so did my own mother. God bless her, Dear Christian.... ;-))
A "CIRCLE" goes round and round. Some are very good artists,
http://www.mojvideo.com/video-dead-or-alive-you-spin-me-right-round-like-a-record-baby/f6d673056dd201cb19c0
Enjoy !!!
Eric Gahn
Oct 13th 2010, 15:22
Good to know such high level science meetings continue to be held in Malta. Would be nice if Times did a special report on the outcome of such conferences. Well done MCST. Keep it up.
Christian Sciberras
Oct 14th 2010, 03:20
MCST is repeatedly showing superior support to its main objective, which puts other similar organisations to shame.
I feel this news is Nick's doing...either way, nice job!
Joey Borg
Oct 13th 2010, 14:32
... maybe who knows.. they also manage to find time to solve the mystery of the black dust....
Raymond Bezzina
Oct 13th 2010, 15:42
Thumbs up to your good joke joey.
Kieron O'connor
Oct 13th 2010, 14:27
Perhaps these "scientists" might give a free consultation while they are here on the state of the maltese road network, and the mentality of maltese bus drivers.
...On second thoughts, i think they have more chance of finding solutions to the LHC upgrade than they do on finding sollutions to the maltese bus drivers and the state of the road network.