The two-day event will culminate with a panel of robots taking questions from journalists on Friday in the world’s first human-robot press conference.

“The idea is to showcase their capabilities, opportunities and challenges to start a global dialogue on robotics for good,” said Frederic Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement, at the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ahead of the Geneva ‘AI for Good’ event where up to 5,000 people are expected.

Robots may take off in the next five years in the same way that generative artificial intelligence (AI) behind bots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT has hit the mainstream this year, he added.

“You have the inflection point where material science, battery life, network connectivity, AI and machine learning, all these things will converge to basically make robotics more accessible than they are now,” he said.

U.N. agencies are already using AI such as the World Food Programme’s HungerMap project which pools data to identify areas sliding towards hunger. It is also developing remote-controlled trucks to deliver emergency aid in danger zones.

The World Health Organization is working on a benchmarking system to ensure the accuracy of AI disease diagnoses.

“The SDGs, let’s say regrettably, are failing and I do believe that AI can help rescue them before it’s too late,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary General, ahead of the July 6-7 conference.

The ITU brings together 193 countries and over 900 organisations including universities and companies like Huawei Technologies and Google. It allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits and is involved with setting standards for artificial intelligence.

Source: reuters.com

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CERN, as a pioneering institution in fundamental physics research, spearheads the expansion of our understanding of the universe through scientific exploration, technological advancements and collaborative endeavours. By pushing the boundaries of knowledge and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, CERN actively drives innovation, blazing the trail for future breakthroughs. CERN’s physicists and engineers utilise state-of-the-art scientific instruments to explore the fundamental particles that comprise matter. By accelerating subatomic particles and causing them to collide at near-light speeds, they gain insights into particle interactions and uncover the fundamental laws of nature. The primary objective is to push the boundaries of human knowledge by delving into the intricate components that form our universe.

Serbia became CERN’s 23rd Member State on 24th March, 2019, though its association with the organisation dates back to its time as part of the former Yugoslavia, which was one of the 12 founding Member States in 1954. Serbian physicists and engineers played an active role in early CERN projects, contributing to the development of facilities like the SC, PS and SPS.

CERN’s collaborative environment drives innovation. Its technologies have had far-reaching impacts in healthcare, environmental protection, aerospace, cryptography and more

During the 1980s and ‘90s, Serbian physicists participated in the DELPHI experiment at CERN’s LEP collider. In 1991, Serbia and CERN established an International Cooperation Agreement, facilitating Serbia’s engagement in various projects. This includes participation in the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, collaboration in the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, and involvement in the ACE and NA61 experiments.

Serbia’s primary involvement with CERN today centres around the ATLAS and CMS experiments. Serbia additionally contributes to research conducted at the ISOLDE facility, encompassing studies ranging from nuclear physics to astrophysics. Serbia also participates actively in design studies for future particle colliders, such as the FCC (Future Circular Collider) and CLIC (Compact Linear Collider), which have the potential to become flagship projects for CERN.

Serbia’s participation in CERN is a vital component of its strategy to implement the Smart Specialisation Strategy and drive scientific and industrial advancements. However, the industrial return to Serbia – when compared with all its membership dues to CERN – has so far been minimal. One of the ways to balance the two directions of this cooperation is to revive the development and application of accelerator technologies in Serbia, specifically through the completion of the construction of the TESLA Accelerator Installation at the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, which should be approved by the government of Serbia. Furthermore, the feasibility of establishing the Southeast European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies, which received support from CERN in 2017, within the scope of the Berlin Initiative for the Western Balkans, should be remade with the possible return to TESLA as its core.

The LHCP2023 meeting in Belgrade marked the first inperson event of the conference series since the pandemic, at which LHC experiments presented numerous new and intriguing physics results

Given the significance of CERN’s potential for society and its own Member States, it is crucial for experts and the general public to gain deeper insights.

We had the privilege of interviewing Joachim Mnich, director for research and computing at CERN, to discuss some of the major developments in this regard. Our interview began by addressing the recent conference that was held in Belgrade during May.

What are the major takeaways from the LHCP 2023 Conference that was held in Belgrade in May?

– The LHCP2023 meeting in Belgrade was the first in-person event of this conference series after the pandemic. More than 350 scientists attended the conference, including a large number of young people. The LHC experiments presented many new and interesting physics results.

The large data sample collected so far, together with improved analysis techniques, often based on machine learning, allow for the establishing of very rare processes and increasing the precision of measurements. Examples are the observation of very rare decay modes of the Higgs boson and the precise determination of the mass inof the W boson, an important parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics.

Could you briefly explain to our readers, who are generally neither experimenters nor theorists, the major value of these scientific advances in terms of this endeavour’s industrial impact?

– Scientific advances are based on new technologies, in the case of the LHC in the areas of particle accelerators and detectors, as well as information technology. Key technologies employed at the LHC span a very wide range, including examples like cryogenics and vacuum technology, precision mechanics, micro-electronics and artificial intelligence.

Fundamental research might seem distant from our everyday lives, but CERN is a unique collaborative environment that provides a fertile ground for innovation. The world wide web, for instance, was invented at CERN. More recently, CERN technologies have impacted healthcare, environmental protection, the aerospace industry, cryptography and more…

Fundamental research might seem distant from our everyday lives, but CERN is a unique collaborative environment that provides fertile ground for innovation. The world wide web, for instance, was invented at CERN

Education is also at the core of CERN’s mission: young scientists and engineers at CERN are trained on such modern technologies. After their career in research, the majority of them bring their knowledge and experience to industry and business.

What is the next step you are working on in terms of scientific advancements? How have the technologies you rely on evolved to enable this?

– We are preparing an upgrade of the LHC to increase the rate of particle collisions by a factor 5-10. This so-called High Luminosity LHC, or HL-LHC for short, will start operating in 2029 and will enable experiments to study even rarer processes, giving a more detailed and sharper view of the Higgs boson.

We will perhaps be able to shed light on the mysterious Dark Matter, which is five times more abundant in the Universe than ordinary matter, but which only interacts with it very weakly. To make this step in enhancing the science potential, new and stronger super-conducting magnets based on new materials have to be developed.

The detectors also have to be upgraded to take advantage of the higher collision rate. Finer and more precise detectors are required to reconstruct the collisions in a much more complicated environment. One example are detectors with a very good time resolution below a tenth of a billionth of a second. Another key development required is radiation hard electronics, which has to withstand a much higher dose than current detectors for many years.

New environmentally-friendly cooling technologies are being developed to improve the capacity while at the same time reducing the environmental footprint of the detectors.

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When I completed my pharmacy studies at the Faculty of Medicine and began my doctoral studies at the Faculty of Technology, where I was also employed in the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, I very often received comments that, as a pharmacist, I didn’t belong in engineering. That certainly didn’t feel nice, but it very quickly became a huge advantage and the wind in my sails. I first learned to overcome such situations and utilise them for my personal development, while that also turned out to be a professional advantage. Specifically, entering a new field meant that I very quickly had to learn and master new things, which helped me view all scientific problems from at least two different perspectives. I also rapidly overcame my fear of the unknown and developed the courage to go further in a new area.

I can say that my international experience and connections with transnational teams, which have differing approaches and expertise, helped me the most on my scientific journey. Closing ourselves off in a secure environment and only working with what we know certainly won’t lead to innovation, but that is unfortunately very prevalent in academic circles, in my opinion. Stepping into the unknown can be scary, because the lack of knowledge makes you feel insecure. However, after a certain period, when you feel like you’ve actually expanded your skills, research area etc., you are greatly encouraged and desire to continue that personal and professional development.

Another thing I consider as being crucial to my development is the team. Namely, after defending my doctoral thesis, my colleague and I formed a team with operating principles that differed from those of traditional teams. This approach that guides me implies giving young people in science space for creativity, freedom and new ideas. This is what I needed, and it very quickly resulted in me becoming independent in my research.

I’m proud of our work in the field of microalgae, where we succeeded in marrying scientific expertise from the fields of pharmaceuticals and green technologies, microalgal biotechnology, engineering in wastewater treatment and organic chemistry

When I began working with scientists from Portugal with expertise in the microalgae field, I knew very little about microalgae. They similarly lacked any knowledge of my field of green solvents and extractions. Despite huge difference in terms of years of experience between us, we simply sat together and all presented our ideas equally. Saying “I don’t know a lot about this, but I want to learn” is halfway to success in scientific projects and ideas. Openness to new ideas and completely different approaches, abandoning safe and familiar frameworks, is that which brings innovation in science. And that’s why I’m proud of our work in the field of microalgae, where we succeeded in marrying scientific expertise from the fields of pharmaceuticals and green technologies microalgal biotechnology, engineering in wastewater treatment, and organic chemistry. That motivated and encouraged me greatly, such that I now enter new projects with ease and huge enthusiasm.

I also believe that joint approaches and activities are key to responding to the global challenges we currently face. Scientists truly have a great responsibility to offer solutions. However, scientific reactions alone aren’t enough. It is necessary to broaden participation, promote endeavour, and harmonize activities of all groups, governments, policymakers, and the general population. Mutual understanding and respect among all participants, and the opportunity for everyone’s voice to be heard, is key to success, and I hope that, as a society, we will improve this.

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The International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UN GA) on December 2, 2021, following a proposal from the Union for Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

During the event, which brought together representatives of UN member states, observers, and various organizations, Ambassador Dušan Vujačić, First Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the UN in New York, proposed that the UN GA proclaim the period from 2024 to 2033 as the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainability. Apart from Mr. Vujačić, the delegation of Serbia included Ms. Jelena Delić, Second Secretary in the Mission, and Dr. Nebojša Nešković, Vice President of the World Academy of Art and Science.

Ambassador Vujačić emphasized the importance of international collaboration and urged other countries to join Serbia’s efforts in promoting scientific research for sustainable development. To solidify the proposal, Serbia committed to preparing a draft resolution to be submitted to and approved by the UN GA by the end of August 2023.

The proposal received immediate support from H.E. Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the UN GA.

The International Decade of Sciences for Sustainability aims to mobilize scientific institutions globally and foster cooperation among them to tackle pressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development. The proposal signifies a major step towards fostering a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to address the world’s most pressing challenges.

The Serbian government’s decision to actively participate in the event and propose the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainability highlights the country’s commitment to scientific advancement and its determination to contribute to global sustainable development efforts.

You can read the full report here

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The University of Kragujevac, which includes 12 faculties and the Institute for Information Technologies, with its 1,330 researchers, gets the opportunity to be the first to be part of the implementation process of the eNauka information system.

The opening of the eNauka portal in full capacity, for all active researchers in the Republic of Serbia, is expected during the summer of 2023.

The goal of the publicly available eNauka portal is to monitor the scientific performance of researchers and institutions in the Republic of Serbia and is intended for the unified display of scientific production, the field of work of researchers, their achievements as well as the achievements of scientific and research organiсations, according to the announcement.

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Many microorganisms that can do this have already been found, but they can usually only work at temperatures above 30C (86F). This means that using them in industrial practice is prohibitively expensive because of the heating required. It also means using them is not carbon neutral.

Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute WSL have found microbes that can do this at 15C, which could lead to a breakthrough in microbial recycling. Their findings have been published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

Dr Joel Rüthi from WSL and colleagues sampled 19 strains of bacteria and 15 of fungi growing on free-lying or intentionally buried plastic kept in the ground for one year in Greenland, Svalbard and Switzerland. They let the microbes grow as single-strain cultures in the laboratory in darkness at 15C and tested them to see if they could digest different types of plastic.

The results showed that the bacterial strains belonged to 13 genera in the phyla actinobacteria and proteobacteria, and the fungi to 10 genera in the phyla ascomycota and mucoromycota.

The plastics tested included non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) and the biodegradable polyester-polyurethane (PUR) as well as two commercially available biodegradable mixtures of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA).

None of the strains were able to digest PE, even after 126 days of incubation on these plastics. But 19 strains (56%), including 11 fungi and eight bacteria, were able to digest PUR at 15C, while 14 fungi and three bacteria were able to digest the plastic mixtures of PBAT and PLA.

Rüthi said: “Here we show that novel microbial taxa obtained from the ‘plastisphere’ of alpine and arctic soils were able to break down biodegradable plastics at 15C. These organisms could help to reduce the costs and environmental burden of an enzymatic recycling process for plastic.”

He said it was surprising that a large fraction of the tested strains were able to degrade at least one of the tested plastics.

The scientists also tested for the best performers and found that they were two uncharacterised fungal species in the genera neodevriesia and lachnellula, which could digest all of the tested plastics except PE.

While plastics have only been in wide use since the 1950s, microbes can degrade polymers because they resemble some structures found in plant cells.

Source: theguardian.com

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The Hakuto-R lander has snapped its first photos since launching atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday morning (Dec. 11), representatives of ispace, the Tokyo-based company that operates the spacecraft, announced early Tuesday morning (Dec. 13).

“While initial checkout operations continue in ispace’s Mission Control Center (MCC), we have also received the first images taken by our lander-mounted camera! This is an image of the Earth about 19 hours after separation from the launch vehicle,” ispace said via Twitter.

“What looks like a crescent moon here is actually the Earth. In the lower right, you can see a plate showing our Hakuto-R corporate partners (as of March 2022),” the company added in another tweet.

While initial checkout operations continue in ispace’s Mission Control Center (MCC), we have also received the first images taken by our lander-mounted camera!

This is an image of the Earth about 19 hours after separation from the launch vehicle. pic.twitter.com/BcM6mrw1Qb

— ispace (@ispace_inc) December 13, 2022

If all goes according to plan, Hakuto-R will arrive at the moon in April, pulling off the first-ever soft lunar touchdown for a Japanese spacecraft. The lander will then deploy a small rover called Rashid for the United Arab Emirates’ space agency.

But ispace isn’t looking that far ahead yet. This is a test flight, the first-ever mission for ispace, and the company is taking things slowly. The mission team is checking off boxes one by one — and Hakuto-R is hitting its marks so far.

To date, the team has established communications with the lander and gotten it into a stable orientation with a consistent power supply. Team members also have “confirmation that there were no deficiencies in the lander’s core systems,” ispace wrote in an update on Monday (Dec. 12).

Hakuto-R’s journey will lay the foundation for many more missions to come, if all goes according to ispace’s plan. The company intends to launch its second mission to the lunar surface in 2024 and its third — a flight for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program — a year later.

After that, ispace is targeting two moon missions a year, company founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada told Space.com recently.

“Our vision is to establish an economically viable, sustainable ecosystem in cislunar [space],” Hakamada said.

Hakuto-R didn’t ride to space alone on Sunday. The Falcon 9 also lofted Lunar Flashlight, a briefcase-sized NASA spacecraft that will hunt for water ice from orbit around the moon.

Source: space.com

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Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee, announced that the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Svante Pääbo for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.

Humanity has always been intrigued by its origins. Where do we come from, and how are we related to those who came before us? What makes us, Homo sapiens, different from other hominins?

Through his pioneering research, Svante Pääbo accomplished something seemingly impossible: sequencing the genome of the Neanderthal, an extinct relative of present-day humans. He also made the sensational discovery of a previously unknown hominin, Denisova. Importantly, Pääbo also found that gene transfer had occurred from these now extinct hominins to Homo sapiens following the migration out of Africa around 70,000 years ago. This ancient flow of genes to present-day humans has physiological relevance today, for example affecting how our immune system reacts to infections.

Pääbo’s seminal research gave rise to an entirely new scientific discipline; paleogenomics. By revealing genetic differences that distinguish all living humans from extinct hominins, his discoveries provide the basis for exploring what makes us uniquely human.

Read more about this year’s Nobel prize.

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Mission control at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, announced the successful impact at 7:14 p.m. EDT. 

As a part of NASA’s overall planetary defense strategy, DART’s impact with the asteroid Dimorphos demonstrates a viable mitigation technique for protecting the planet from an Earth-bound asteroid or comet, if one were discovered.

“At its core, DART represents an unprecedented success for planetary defense, but it is also a mission of unity with a real benefit for all humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “As NASA studies the cosmos and our home planet, we’re also working to protect that home, and this international collaboration turned science fiction into science fact, demonstrating one way to protect Earth.”

DART targeted the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, a small body just 530 feet (160 meters) in diameter. It orbits a larger, 2,560-foot (780-meter) asteroid called Didymos. Neither asteroid poses a threat to Earth.

The mission’s one-way trip confirmed NASA can successfully navigate a spacecraft to intentionally collide with an asteroid to deflect it, a technique known as kinetic impact.

The investigation team will now observe Dimorphos using ground-based telescopes to confirm that DART’s impact altered the asteroid’s orbit around Didymos. Researchers expect the impact to shorten Dimorphos’ orbit by about 1%, or roughly 10 minutes; precisely measuring how much the asteroid was deflected is one of the primary purposes of the full-scale test.

“Planetary Defense is a globally unifying effort that affects everyone living on Earth,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Now we know we can aim a spacecraft with the precision needed to impact even a small body in space. Just a small change in its speed is all we need to make a significant difference in the path an asteroid travels.”

Source: NASA

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During the four-day conference, nine young female scientists from Serbia who received the “For Women in Science” award presented their scientific research. 

SANU President Vladimir Kostić said that the deconstruction of science as we knew it is underway, that the entire discourse of science is changing, stressing that it is very important to understand the social, social and every other consequence that modern science offers.

The event was attended by Garry Jacobs, President of the World Academy of Art & Science. 

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Scientists assessing data from Nasa’s Curiosity Mars rover have found levels of life ingredient molecules in Martian rocks comparable to the amount found in rocks in very harsh “low-life places” on Earth.

The research, published in the journal PNAS on Tuesday, measured total organic carbon – a key component in the molecules of life – in Martian rocks for the first time.

Organic carbon is carbon bound to a hydrogen atom, and forms the basis for organic molecules that are created and used by all known forms of life.

Total organic carbon is a measurement that indicates how much material is available for the chemistry that sustains life-precursour reactions, and potentially life itself, scientists including Jennifer Stern from Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, explained.

While organic carbon has been found on Mars before, researchers say prior measurements only produced information on particular compounds, or represented measurements capturing just a portion of the carbon in the rocks.

The new study, they say gives the total amount of organic carbon in these rocks.

In 2014, I placed rock samples in my SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) instrument to measure the chemical compounds. After years of careful analysis from my team, they measured the total organic carbon in those Martian rocks for the first time. https://t.co/LeWXQ0nBny

— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) June 28, 2022

The study found “at least 200 to 273 parts per million of organic carbon,” a quantity that is comparable to or even more than that found in rocks in “very low-life places on Earth such as parts of the Atacama Desert in South America,” Dr Stern said.

The discovery of organic carbon does not conclusively prove the existence of life on Mars as these molecules can also arise from non-living sources like meteorites and volcanoes.

However, with previous research suggesting that the Martian climate billions of years ago was more Earth-like, scientists say alien life, if it ever evolved on the Red Planet, could have been sustained by key ingredients like organic carbon, if present in sufficient amount.

In the new study, researchers assessed data from the Curiosity rover’s assessment of samples drilled from 3.5 billion-year-old mudstone rocks in the Yellowknife Bay formation of Gale crater, the site of an ancient lake on Mars.

They found that organic carbon was part of this mudstone material, and other than liquid water and organic carbon, the Martian crater also had other conditions conducive to life, such as chemical energy sources, low acidity, and elements essential for life like oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.

“While results suggest this carbon was largely refractory or mineral-bound in nature, whichattests to its preservation over billions of years, it remains to bedetermined if there is chemical information preserved within itthat pinpoint how it was formed and what processing may havealtered it since deposition,” scientists wrote in the study.

“Basically, this location would have offered a habitable environment for life, if it ever was present,” Dr Stern said.

In the analysis, Curiosity delivered Martian samples to its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) which measured ratios of various forms of carbon atoms called isotopes present in the rocks, that help determine the source of the carbon. “While biology cannot be completely ruled out, isotopes cannot really be used to support a biological origin for this carbon, either, because the range overlaps with igneous (volcanic) carbon and meteoritic organic material, which are most likely to be the source of this organic carbon,” Dr Stern added.

Source: independent.co.uk

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The satellite launched by SpaceX is taking a long, roundabout path to conserve fuel and will arrive back in December.

If successful, it will join spacecraft from the U.S. and India already operating around the moon, and a Chinese rover exploring the moon’s far side.

India, Russia and Japan have new moon missions launching later this year or next, as do a slew of private companies in the U.S. and elsewhere. And NASA is next up with the debut of its mega moon rocket in late August.

South Korea’s $180 million mission — the country’s first step in lunar exploration — features a boxy, solar-powered satellite designed to skim just 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the lunar surface. Scientists expect to collect geologic and other data for at least a year from this low polar orbit.

It is South Korea’s second shot at space in six weeks.

Source: AP

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Speaking to CorD Magazine on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the revolutionary discovery of the Higgs boson, professor Petar Adžić discusses the latest results and upcoming research into the properties of this elementary particle, but also CERN’s importance to Serbia’s scientific community, education system and economy.

Precisely 10 years have passed since the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, also known among journalists as the “God particle”. How do you view this turning point in science from today’s perspective?

– The Higgs boson was probably the longest awaited particle clearly predicted by the prevailing Standard Model (SM) theory of particle physics. During my past lectures at the Faculty of Physics of the University of Belgrade, I very often had to answer the same question posed by students: do I believe the Higgs boson really exists? My answer was always the same: “besides strong physics and mathematical arguments, there is one more convincing argument: with the exception of the Higgs boson, all particles predicted by the Standard Model – the most precise theory in particle physics – have to date been confirmed as existing, and it is thus hard to believe that only the prediction of the Higgs boson, the SM’s last missing particle, was wrong”.

Finally, after more than 60 years of hunting, it was found in 2012, when the two largest experiments in particle physics – ATLAS and CMS – announced this historic discovery on 4th July at CERN. It represents a huge leap in particle physics, the predicting of which was worthy of the Nobel prize in physics for two great physicists, Peter Higgs and Francois Englert. Among the many scientists taking part in this long journey, Serbian scientists were involved in both of these experiments from 2001 and also gave direct contributions. These two largest and most complex experiments in the history of science involve about 9,000 scientists, engineers and experts of various profiles.

Was research on the Higgs boson and the Higgs field concluded back in 2012?

– This discovery represented a turning point in High Energy Physics (HEP) and for particle physicists at the same time also the beginning of new challenges and deeper studies. It firstly confirmed SM as the leading theory of current energies produced at the LHC accelerator complex. This particle also confirms the existence of the complex Higgs field, thus encouraging physicists that they are on the right track in their research endeavours. However, although it is perfectly explained mathematically, we still do not understand the physics behind the Higgs mechanism and how it acts in the creation of particle masses. There are so many phenomena within the Higgs sector that we still need to understand and we are trying to study them in the Higgs boson’s interactions with other particles. Over the last ten years, ATLAS and CMS experiments performed very complex and comprehensive investigations to understand such interactions.

What has been happening at CERN in the meantime? Has the research of some other teams led to some new discoveries, to new revelations about new particles?

– There are other priorities in particle physics too. Several important results and discoveries have also been reported and published in the meantime by ATLAS, CMS and another two LHC experiments: LHCb and ALICE. Some new exotic particles were discovered and some very rare particle decays were confirmed or discovered, including the Higgs boson rare decay, along with other phenomena. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the announcing of the discovery, ATLAS and CMS collaborations published two independent papers in the scientific journal Nature showing that the properties of the Higgs boson are remarkably consistent with those predicted by the SM.

It is estimated that approximately 80% of total particle physics research worldwide is currently being carried out at CERN

Further studies of this particle would represent a powerful tool to search for new and unknown phenomena that may shed more light on some of the biggest mysteries of physics, such as the nature of the mysterious dark matter present in the universe. All these discoveries and new precise measurements of particle properties are in line with SM predictions, but one of the priorities is also to search for indications of possible new physics and phenomena beyond SM predictions. All these will stimulate a more intensive search in the ongoing experiments, particularly after the upgrade of the High Luminosity LHC (HLLHC), the operation of which is planned for 2027-2028, while its programmes are expected to probably conclude by 2040.

Serbia has been a full member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research – CERN since 2019. What has this membership brought us?

– There are several Serbian research teams involved in CERN projects, four of which are larger: two particle physics teams involved in the CMS (since 2001) and ATLAS experiment (2004), then one research team working on ISOLDE (in nuclear physics) experiments and the team involved in LHC GRID computing and SHIP experiment. There are also several smaller research groups and Serbian scientists and engineers contributing independently to different CERN projects. More than 80 people from Serbia have been registered as CERN users since Serbia became a full member of CERN.

Apart from organised teams that provide an active research contribution to CERN projects, to date many Serbian summer students, Ph.D. students, postdoctoral and senior researchers have obtained prestigious CERN stipends, fellowships and various forms of financial support. They have spent between several months and several years working at CERN. Most of them returned to their home institutions to share their knowledge and experience with their colleagues, while continuing their close collaboration within CERN projects.

One of CERN’s important missions is education. Serbia utilised the great opportunity to send pupils from Serbian schools to CERN on several occasions, then students and physics teachers, to attend CERN educational programmes. These programmes included lectures by CERN scientists, active training sessions, visits to CERN laboratories and experiments. Such activities were highly valued by Serbian schools and by the Serbian Ministry of education.

During the construction phase, Serbian industrial companies designed, constructed and delivered some detector parts for ATLAS and CMS detector as an in-kind contribution early in 2000. Some Serbian industrial companies were also active within CERN projects, but we expect the industrial return to improve in the following years.

Did the engagement of a larger number of research and technical experts at CERN at least slow down the brain drain of experts and future experts leaving Serbia?

– I don’t have any official information, but the answer is positive as far as HEP physicists are concerned. Most of those who collaborate actively within CERN projects travel from Serbia to CERN when needed. We are grateful for the general support of the Serbian government, but what we need is much better financial support. We have been expecting the financial support required for active and comfortable work, including necessary longer stays at CERN, for many years. We hope that financial support will improve in the following years.

Serbia utilised the great opportunity to send pupils from Serbian schools to CERN on several occasions, then students and physics teachers, to attend CERN educational programmes

I should like to take this opportunity to mention that Belgrade will host the annual international conference “LHCPhysics” (LHCP2023) in the last week of May (22nd-29th) 2023. Serbia and Belgrade will have the honour of welcoming about 500 physicists from all over the world, who will present the latest results of LHC experiments at CERN. During one conference week, there will be also several ongoing events connected with CERN activities.

Does research work or engagements on projects at CERN imply the transferring of part of the activities to the domestic scientific institutions to which researchers belong and, if so, to what extent?

– This is crucial and one of the most important benefits for each CERN member state. New research goals stimulate the development and application of new technologies as an indispensable ingredient of the construction of complex detectors. It is always a great opportunity for industrial companies to get involved in CERN’s scientific and technological projects. The knowledge and experience gained in this work pay off in the best way provided at least part of these activities and experience are transferred to home institutions. The same holds for scientists. Their experience and knowledge gained working on CERN projects represent the great award and may become beneficial for their home institutions. When they return home, they still can continue collaborating within CERN projects, but at the same time they can upgrade and enrich the scientific environment by implementing their knowledge, experience and new methods in research work at home institutions.

What are scientists from small countries like ours most impressed by at CERN?

– The experimental research in HEP projects assumes the period from feasibility studies, construction and then commissioning of complex detectors and it takes usually 10 or more years. All these are dictated by high and ambitious research goals and priorities set by scientists and by technological development. Naturally, scientists and engineers, particularly young ones, are always impressed by unique equipment and the presence of many experts from whom they can usually learn.

Even we seniors, with 35 or more years of experience at CERN, are astonished and thrilled each time we find ourselves in front of those complex and huge detectors composed of more than 100 million parts surrounded by associated instruments and occupying the space of four- or five-storey buildings. Besides top-class research and the use of all kinds of modern equipment, I would reemphasis that the greatest benefit offered by CERN is education and experience that scientists or engineers can gain and bring back to their home institutions.

It is thanks to CERN that Europe continues to play a leading role in the world when it comes to the physics of elementary particles, but also in some other areas of particle physics. How can that advantage be preserved?

– It is estimated that approximately 80% of total particle physics research worldwide is currently being carried out at CERN. It is also one of the leading institutions in accelerator technologies, engineering and IT, along with all activities that necessarily follow the construction of complex detectors. CERN will certainly retain the status of leading HEP laboratory for several more decades and even longer, as all HEP research priorities should receive additional focus in future CERN experiments at much higher energies. The ongoing LH-LHC programme upgrade has already enabled CERN to take a leading role in the following decades. The concept for building the new Future Circular Collider (FCC), which will be more than three times bigger (100 km circumference) than the existing LHC complex at CERN, has been considered and already adopted by the CERN Council within the scope of the plan of the European Strategy for Particle Physics. It should guarantee CERN’s long domination, as the first stage of FCC would become operational after 2040 and will offer the most advanced particle physics programmes for new generations of scientists worldwide for another 20 years or more.

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Webb’s first observations tell the story of the hidden Universe through every phase of cosmic history – from neighbouring exoplanets to the most distant observable galaxies in the early Universe, to everything in between.

Source: esa.int

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