Simon Vindbaek Jensen

Denmark is a small country, but when you are at CERN, that does not matter. Diversity and cooperation are key here. My name is Simon Vindbaek Jensen and this is my brief experience of CERN. Every day is something new. It does not have to be, but as a summer student so much is going on. Lectures in the morning and projects after noon. I am part of the Radiation Protection group. Here we simulate the radiation all the experiments at CERN are going to produce using the Monte Carlo method in a program called FLUKA. Summarizing my projects are difficult, because I tried and did so many different things.

I wrote a technical report, where the results were basis for an experiment we did at the antiproton decelerator. I simulated data for the yearly gathering of radiation shielding experts, so they could compare the various Monte Carlo codes. Finally I participated in a yearly event, where a team from Japan comes in to do experiments at the facilities, in cooperation with us.

Work is however not everything. Sports or being active is one of my favorite pastimes and CERNs got plenty of it. The mountains and hikes in the area are incredible. Chamonix, le Reculet, Tour d’Ai and I could go on. You can run in the vineyards or in the forest. There’s a pool right next to CERN or you can go to the Geneva Lake. As a summer student we can even borrow a bike from CERN free of charge. CERN made my nine weeks feel like one. That’s a rare and impressive feat for any organization. I gained not only knowledge, but also friends and a network full of wonderful people. Being in a scientific community is great, but being in a scientific world is incredible.