communicating cern

Communicating CERNWhat we do and why it matters

James Gillies, Head of Communication, CERNJožef Stefan Institute, 8 April 2015

What is CERN?

CERN is a place of extremes…

The fastest racetrack

on the planet…

One of the emptiest places in the solar system…

One of the emptiest places in the solar system…

One of the coldest places in the universe…

One of the emptiest places in the solar system…he hottest spots in the galaxy…

The hottest spots in the galaxy…


The biggest most sophisticated detectors ever built…



The most globalcomputer system in the world…



Why…?

Methodology

Newton’s unfinished business… what is mass?

Science’s little embarrassment… what is 95% of the Universe made of?

Nature’s favouritism… why is there no more antimatter?

The secrets of the Big Bang… what was matter like within the first second of the Universe’s life?

To push back the frontiers of knowledge…

To understand matter at the smallest scales…

The Higgs field is a scalar field

Dark matter and energy

Antimatter

Hollywood CERN

“What has it got to do with me?”

Probing the mysteries of Dark Matter

and Dark Energy…

We develop technologies that make a

difference…

Probing the mysteries of Dark Matter

and Dark Energy…

We train scientists & engineers

for tomorrow…

We bring nations together through Science.

Communicating CERN

OED:

Communication n. 1 a communicating or being communicated b information etc. communicated c letter, message, etc. 2 connection or means of access. 3 social dealings. 4 (in pl.) science and practice of transmitting information.

James Gillies:

Communication n. the act of managing the relationship of an organization with key stakeholders in order to allow the organization to carry out its mission unhindered.

What is communication?

To pursue world class research in fundamental physics

To bring nations together through peaceful collaboration in science

So what is the mission?

To pursue world class research in fundamental physics

To bring nations together through peaceful collaboration in science

So what is the mission?

But also to promote the cause of science in society today

The challenge of communicating physics…

“We all remember what it was like to be 18: the idea of going to a party with one’s mother was pretty much up there with joining the after school physics club in terms of social humiliation.”

The challenge of communicating physics…

Methodology

2004: Some market researchPeople do not understand what we do“science is just there” “not a clue” “stone circle”

But they think it’s good“we need to know what’s inside an atom” “a good thing”

It’s perceived as expensive“it’s a lot of money”

People want to know what’s in it for them“will it have a practical benefit?”

Methodology

Perception versus realityWhat is CERN?

European Organization for Nuclear Research?European Laboratory for Particle Physics?

Perception Reality

CERN is a nuclear lab Particle physics

CERN does military research Forbidden

CERN is secretive Publishes openly

CERN is closed Open to the publicMuch of our intranet is accessible.

Our scientists are encouraged and enabled to communicate.

Transparency

Transparency• Gain trust• You have no choice

Transparency• Gain trust• You have no choice• If it falls down, the world

will notice.

Transparency• Gain trust• You have no choice• If it falls down, the world

will notice.

Honest, open, timely = authoritative

AudiencesMember States

Scientists

CERN Community

general publicsAlumni

The local community

Educational systems

Potential sponsors

Cultural and artistic communiYounger Children

Industry

Job seekers

VIPs

Media

Member States Coordination:

European particle physics communication network

Global Coordination:

InterAction Collaborationwww.interactions.org

We have great stories to tell…

…about science…

…about innovation…

…about peace…

…about education…

Sometimes others have great stories about us…

Angels, Demons & Black Holes

Methodology… this arrived on my desk in 2000

Methodology… and then came End Day…

Methodology

The story of one day…

Methodology

Reassuring physicist…

Ignore it?Fight it?

Consider it an opportunity?

It was time for CERN to act…

MethodologyTrue or false?

CERN has a space plane.CERN makes antimatter.Georges Charpak played frisbee.Antimatter could solve the energy crisis.Antimatter is used in PET scanners.Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.


CERN has a space plane. ✗

CERN makes antimatter.Georges Charpak played frisbee.Antimatter could solve the energy crisis.Antimatter is used in PET scanners.Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.



CERN makes antimatter. ✓

Georges Charpak played frisbee.Antimatter could solve the energy crisis.Antimatter is used in PET scanners.Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.




Georges Charpak played frisbee. ✗

Antimatter could solve the energy crisis.Antimatter is used in PET scanners.Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.





Antimatter could solve the energy crisis. ✗

Antimatter is used in PET scanners.Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.






Antimatter is used in PET scanners. ✓

Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.






Antimatter is used in PET scanners. ✓

Technology for PET scanners is developed at CERN.

✓

Methodology

They launched the film at CERN

Methodology

We did tie-ins with the launch, and we’re on the BluRay

Methodology

And Earth-eating Black Holes?

The Cosmic Ray Spectrum

LHC

Methodology

The Lion, the Witch and the Black Hole

“Once we stop these guys at CERN then we have to ban wardrobes. We shouldn't be taking the chance of people ending up in Narnia!”

Blog posting, 30 March 2008

Methodology

The result…

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Media visits to the CERN siteLHC start

LHC First Beam 10 September 2008

• 340 media outlets on site• 450 broadcasters• 2500 transmissions• 91 stand-ups• Audience in hundreds of millions

“CERN is the new NASA!”

… well, for a couple of days at least…

LHC First Physics 30 March 2010

• From 90,000 to 120,000 followers

• LHC, CERN, TeV and experiment all trending

• CERN homepage: 205,000 visitors from 185 countries. Average 10,000

• Press Office site: 154,000 visitors. Average 2,000

• 231 peak connections from LHC institutes

• Webcast was visited by 700,000 IP addresses

Higgs update seminar July 2012

Close to half a million IPs, live blog, chat room

Tonality of coverageMethodology

Biggest story of 2013: Nobel Prize

Biggest stories from Q3/4 2014

•Media coverage (number of clips) – keywords: “CERN”

Biggest stories from 2015 so far…

CERN researchers confirm existence of the Force

Biggest stories from 2015 so far…

Beam back in the LHC on Sunday

6000 press cuttings so far Live blog: 36,000 followed Website: 93,000 visitors

(c.f. 1.3 Million for April 1)

“Why does it matter?”

Science must re-engage

Vaccines…

Mobile phones…

Energy…

Climate change…

Here’s a good reason…

Methodology

Why does it matter?• World uses energy at the rate of 15.7TW• Set to increase by 50% by 2030• 1.6 billion people lack electricity• ~80% generated by burning fossil fuels• ~10% generated by burning combustible

renewables• ~5% nuclear• ~5% hydro• ~0.5% all other renewables

*Source: Talk by Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith. The Energy Challenge and the Need for Nuclear, 24 March 2011.

TEDxCERN’s contribution…

NanoClimate change

GMOs

NuclearSTEM

Take home message…

Science matters, and communicating science matters if we’re to secure a sustainable future

communicating cern

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