CERN facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
European Organization
for Nuclear Research
Organisation européenne
pour la recherche nucléaire

Formation	29 September 1954
Headquarters	Geneva, Switzerland
Membership	22 member states, 7 associate member states and 6 observers
Director General	Fabiola Gianotti
Website	cern.ch

CERN's main site

CERN is a research institute near Geneva, Switzerland. The full name is Organisation Européene pour la Recherche Nucléaire (European Organization for Nuclear Research). The letters "CERN" are left over from the older Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (European Council for Nuclear Research). CERN was founded in 1954. Today 22 nations are members of the organisation. It is the world's biggest laboratory for particle physics. About 2600 people work there full-time, and over 7800 scientists from about 500 universities and research institutes work there in total.

The Large Hadron Collider, the largest particle accelerator in the world, is at CERN.

Images for kids

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  The 12 founding member states of CERN in 1954

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  Map of the Large Hadron Collider together with the Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN

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  CMS detector for LHC

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  CERN building 40 at the Meyrin site.

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  Interior of office building 40 at the Meyrin site. Building 40 hosts many offices for scientists from the CMS and ATLAS collaborations.

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  ESO and CERN have a cooperation agreement.

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  The Globe of Science and Innovation at CERN

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  1954 (12 members): CERN is founded (1954-1990 borders)

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  1959 (13 members): Austria joins (1954-1990 borders)

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  1961 (13 members): Spain joins and Yugoslavia leaves (1954-1990 borders)

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  1969 (12 members): Spain leaves (1954-1990 borders)

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  1983 (13 members): Spain re-joins (1954-1990 borders)

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  1985 (14 members): Portugal joins (1954-1990 borders)

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  1991 (16 members): Poland and Finland join, and Germany has been reunified (post 1993 borders)

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  1992 (17 members): Hungary joins (post 1993 borders)

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  1993 (19 members): Czech Republic and Slovakia join (post 1993 borders)

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  1999 (20 members): Bulgaria joins (post 1993 borders)

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  Animated map showing changes in CERN membership from 1954 until 1999 (borders are as at dates of change)

See also

In Spanish: Organización Europea para la Investigación Nuclear para niños