From 11 and 14 September, the CERN Accelerator School (CAS) celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event known as CAS40 Week. Located near CERN's Restaurant 1, the event aimed to emphasise the importance of education and knowledge sharing in accelerator technologies while fostering a sense of community within CERN.
We organised CAS40 Week to strengthen our community bonds and highlight the significance of education in research, goals we can only achieve together.
- Frank Tecker, CAS's director.
The centrepiece of CAS40 Week was the CAS stand, strategically placed in Restaurant 1. A screen showcased CAS's history, including a compilation of group pictures of their alumni, where one could recognise some familiar faces from the accelerator community. To add a touch of fun, CAS introduced the "magic selfie corner." Attendees could take creative selfies, fostering connections and conversations among like-minded individuals.
The highlight of CAS40 Week was a special concert on September 14th during lunchtime, organised in collaboration with the CERN Music Club. The celebration went beyond music as CAS planned a grand drone picture formation between concerts. The picture would form the letters "CAS40," symbolising four decades of educational excellence and innovation at CERN. This ambitious endeavour aimed to foster unity among the diverse CERN community.
This celebration is part of a year-long recognition of CAS's 40 years of existence, with another event scheduled for beginning of 2024 to honour the dedicated lecturers and hands-on professionals that come to CAS from CERN and from various institutes worldwide who have contributed all these years.
As CAS marked its 40th anniversary, it reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing the next generation of accelerator scientists and engineers, ensuring that CERN's legacy of innovation and excellence continues to shine.