Students from London’s East End have been on a “collision course” to uncover how the universe begin at the world-famous Hadron collider in Switzerland.

East London Advertiser: A-Level science pupils from Tower Hamlets College visit Hadron particle collider in GenevaA-Level science pupils from Tower Hamlets College visit Hadron particle collider in Geneva (Image: TH College)

The A-Level physics and vocational science group from Tower Hamlets College in Poplar visited the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, which houses the large particle collider.

They learned how the centre helps answer questions about the beginning of the universe and what the basic building blocks are of matter.

College Principal Gerry McDonald said: “Visits like this help students know better the real-life roles that scientists play in helping society understand how the world works and how it started.”

The students learned about the technical and engineering challenges that the multi-national collaborations face.

The experiments conducted in the collider have led to recent discoveries such as the Higgs Boson particle, used as a reference for further particle study which has answered many questions about the functions of the universe.

Nishat Tasnim, 17, from Bow, who’s studying BTEC Level 3 Science, said: “Actually coming here to witness science in action is simply amazing. I had the chance to meet the people behind it all.”

Particles are accelerated close to the speed of light inside the circular collider, which is more than 20 miles (27km) long, making them smash into each other. These “crashes” are similar to the conditions at the birth of the universe during the Big Bang, as the theory goes.

The students study particle physics in their BTEC Science course. But the visit to the centre in Geneva takes learning to a whole new level—an opportunity for any aspiring scientist of the future.

But it wasn’t all work and no play. The young science hopefuls took time off to visit Mont Saleve with its magnificent views of Geveva and the Swiss Alps and also to visit the UN headquarters.