and combination group, which includes professors,
postdocs and students from different universities. The
group compiles research results from various Higgs
sub-groups and generates the final ATLAS Higgs
publications. During Kirill’s term, final LHC Run-1
measurements of Higgs spin and parity, Higgs boson
couplings to fermions and vector bosons and
measurement of the Higgs mass had been published.
Members of the working groups come from all around the
world, including US, UK, Canada, China, Japan and many
other European countries. There are also participants
from Hong Kong in the ATLAS experiment, with a
majority of them affiliated with the Joint Consortium for
Fundamental Physics (JCFP) comprising members from
HKUST, HKU and CUHK. Despite the diverse
backgrounds, people are working together toward a
common project with clearly defined scientific goals. Thus
the only factor which matters is the contributions to the
common task. This allows for a strong and diverse
collaboration, which gives its members equal chances
but also utilizes the diversity in an efficient way.
Various university teams send students to CERN every
summer. There are normally around 200 to 300 interns of
literally all nationalities and languages. During their
internship, they are expected to follow half-day lecture
sessions during the first month and lab work for the rest of
the working time. Each student is assigned to a working
team performing the actual research and given a task to
complete. Throughout their stay, they share their time
among studies, research, international parties and travels.
Four undergraduate students from JCFP spent around
three months at CERN last summer, and more graduate
students and postdoctoral fellows from Hong Kong
universities are being recruited to the team.
The region around Geneva is famed for hiking and
outdoor activities. Several important music festivals of all
styles are held every summer and CERN students are
typically participating in numbers. Summer is also a
traditional season for local celebrations: Swiss National
Day, Day of Geneva and others are the events students
never miss. The central location within Europe also
allows for easy and affordable weekend travels to nearby
destinations. After a long but fruitful workweek, Kirill
enjoys exploring nature in the neighborhood. In
particular, he is a fan of
alpine skiing and
sailing. While the
Higgs discovery has
deterred him from
taking a long vacation
to the Alps, he takes
part in at least one
major sailing
competition on Lake
Geneva every year. As
a member of CERN’s
sailing club committee,
he also helps repair
boats and organize
various regattas and
cruises.
Prof Ming Chung Chu from CUHK (right) with students from Hong Kong
at CERN last summer.
Kirill and the new boat of CERN’s sailing
club before its maiden voyage.
IAS Community
May 2015
9
