While earlier this week news surrounded a presumptuous theory that researchers at CERN's Large Hadron Collider in fact had not discovered the elusive Higgs Boson particle as they claimed in 2012, news from the people behind the discovery announced that the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) anticipates an even brighter future with a new Director-General at its helm. Selected at the 173rd closed session held earlier this month, Italian physicist Dr. Fabiola Gianotti will begin her five-year mandate starting on January 1st, 2016.
Since its discovery of the Higgs Boson particle in early 2012, after the development of the world's first Large Hadron Collider, CERN has been making headlines with its continued views towards peaking technological innovation and discoveries. And while the public opinion poll is still out on whether or not CERN holds the popular vote amongst the masses, CERN's selection Council was near unanimous in its favor of Gianotti, whom they believe will bring CERN into a new era.
"We were extremely impressed with all three candidates put forward by the search committee" President of CERN's Council, Agnieszka Zalewska says. "It was Dr. Gianotti's vision for CERN's future as a world leading accelerator laboratory, coupled with her in-depth knowledge of both CERN and the field of experimental particle physics that led us to this outcome."
CERN's current Director-General Rolf Heuer has seen the European Organization through perhaps its most noteworthy days thus far, including the creation of the Large Hadron Collider and the subatomic particle discoveries found to date. However, as the company continues to strive for excellence within the field of physics, everyone include Heuer looks towards what the future and Gianotti may have planned for the years to come.
"Fabiola Gianotti is an excellent choice to be my successor" Heuer says. "It has been a pleasure to work with her many years. I look forward to continuing to work with her through the transition year of 2015, and am confident that CERN will be in very good hands."
And as perhaps one of the most distinguished candidates the Council has selected to date, indeed Gianotti will be an excellent successor. After studying experimental particle physics at Milan University, Gianotti continued her research until beginning the largest project of her career, known as "Atlas". As one of CERN's two main detector projects, intended to identify the Higgs Boson particle that is believed to give mass to all atoms, "Atlas" was a project in which Gianotti successfully discovered the elusive particle while also managing to lead a team of 3,000 scientists from 177 universities and 38 nations across all of Europe. And it is an example of excellence that Gianotti hopes to continue in her new position.
"CERN is a center of scientific excellence, and a source of pride and inspiration for physicists from all over the world. CERN is also a cradle for technology and innovation, a fountain of knowledge and education, and a shining, concrete example of worldwide scientific cooperation and peace" Gianotti says. "It is the combination of these four assets that renders CERN so unique, a place that makes better scientists and better people."
"I will fully engage myself to maintain CERN's excellence in all its attributes, with the help of everybody, including CERN Council, staff and users from all over the world."
RELATED VIDEO:
