Barnard Castle School Sixth Form physicists in Years 12 and 13 embarked on an enriching Physics trip to Geneva, centred around a visit to CERN and a wide-ranging programme of scientific, cultural, and international experiences.
We designed the trip, which runs every two years to ensure that all Sixth Form physicists have the opportunity to take part, to extend students’ understanding of physics well beyond the classroom.
A major highlight was the visit to CERN. Here, students explored the newly upgraded Science Gateway visitor centre alongside a guided tour of the site. Through immersive exhibitions and hands-on displays, students engaged with particle detectors, accelerator technology, and the techniques used to identify and analyse subatomic particles.
Interactive exhibits demonstrated how charged particles are accelerated using electric fields, steered using magnetic fields, and detected through their interactions with matter,. This directly reinforced key A Level topics in particle physics and electromagnetism. Students also examined real experimental components and explored how concepts such as energy, momentum, and relativistic effects underpin modern high-energy physics research.
Scientific experiences were deliberately balanced with broader international and cultural perspectives. Students visited the UN Palace of Nations and the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Museum, gaining insight into global cooperation and humanitarian work. Additionally, visits to the History of Science Museum and the Patek Philippe Museum highlighted the development of scientific ideas and precision engineering over time.
Alongside the academic programme, students took part in a range of cultural, team-building, and social activities. These included an escape room challenge, a Swiss chocolatier visit, traditional Swiss dining, and a cable car journey, and mountain walk on Mont Salève, offering spectacular views over Geneva.
The trip has already proven invaluable back in the classroom, with students frequently referring to their experiences when studying topics across the A Level Physics course, including particle physics, electromagnetism, energy, and thermodynamics. As always, the CERN trip was both academically rigorous and memorable, inspiring students as they consider future study and careers in physics and STEM-related fields.
