A fully funded week at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva for 15 students from around the world who want to understand the universe at its smallest and largest scales.
CERN is best known for the Large Hadron Collider, but much of the research done there is about the universe as a whole: what dark matter is made of, why the universe contains matter and almost no antimatter, where the most energetic cosmic rays come from, and how the first atomic nuclei formed in the minutes after the Big Bang.
The A&A Excursion to CERN 2027 brings 15 students who are serious about physics and astronomy to CERN for one week. Participants attend lectures on astroparticle physics and cosmology, visit experiments and facilities on the CERN site, and take part in hands-on workshops and a short group research project. They meet physicists, engineers, and doctoral students who work at the laboratory, and they live together on the CERN campus.
The program follows the model of established school and teacher programs at CERN, with a stronger focus on astronomy and astrophysics. It is organised and fully funded by the A&A Academic Office.
Each day combines a lecture in the morning with visits, workshops, or discussions in the afternoon, so that what is explained in the lecture hall can be seen in the experiment halls the same day.
Daily lectures on the Standard Model, cosmic rays, dark matter, antimatter, and the early universe, given at a level suited to advanced school and early university students.
Guided visits to experiments, control rooms, and the infrastructure of the laboratory, led by people who work there.
Workshops in which participants build and operate a simple particle detector and analyse real data from astroparticle experiments.
Informal sessions with physicists, engineers, and doctoral students about their research, their careers, and everyday life at an international laboratory.
In small groups, participants work on a short research question during the week and present their results to the group on the last day.
A free afternoon in Geneva with a guided walk through the old town and along the lake, and shared dinners that leave room for conversation.
The visits are chosen for their connection to astronomy and astrophysics. The final list depends on the operating schedule of the laboratory and on CERN's access rules at the time of the program.
At the Antiproton Decelerator and its ELENA ring, antiprotons are slowed down and combined with positrons to form antihydrogen. The experiments test whether antimatter falls in the same way as matter and whether antihydrogen has the same spectrum as hydrogen. Both questions bear on why the universe is made of matter at all.
Since 2011 the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer has measured cosmic rays from the International Space Station. It is operated from a control centre at CERN, and its measurements of positrons and antiprotons in space are among the most precise tests of models of dark matter.
The Data Centre stores and first processes the data of the experiments and is the central node of a computing grid spread across more than 40 countries. It shows how a modern experiment turns electronic signals into physical results.
In the CLOUD chamber, a beam from the Proton Synchrotron stands in for cosmic rays, so that their effect on the formation of aerosol particles and clouds can be measured under controlled conditions. It is one of the places where particle physics meets the physics of the atmosphere.
Where the schedule allows, a visit to one of the large experiments at the Large Hadron Collider or to its control room. The collisions recorded there recreate, for a moment, the conditions of the universe a few millionths of a second after the Big Bang.
CERN's centre for science education, opened in 2023, with exhibitions on particle physics and the universe and the laboratories in which the workshops of the week take place.
The lectures follow one thread through the week: the physics of elementary particles explains much of what astronomers observe, and astronomical observations in turn set questions that particle physics has not yet answered.
The lectures assume school mathematics and physics. No previous knowledge of particle physics is required, and participants who have taken the A&A Masterclass will recognise much of the astrophysical background.
The detailed program, with times and the confirmed visits, is sent to participants in May 2027 and may differ from this outline.
There is no participation fee. The A&A Academic Office pays for the program on site and contributes to the journey, so that the cost of travel does not decide who can take part.
Visa fees and other costs of travel documents cannot be covered, nor can personal expenses or health insurance. Participants need health insurance that is valid in Switzerland.
Every selected participant who needs a visa receives an official invitation letter for the visa application. Applicants who expect to need a visa should check the requirements for Switzerland early, as appointments at consulates can take several weeks.
Five of the fifteen places are reserved for alumni of the A&A Masterclass, that is, participants who have completed the masterclass and received their certificate. Alumni apply through the same form and are assessed by the same criteria. They compete for the reserved places among themselves and can also be selected for one of the other ten places. Reserved places that are not filled by alumni go to other applicants.
In the form, alumni can give the verification ID of their certificate, so that their completion can be confirmed.
The application has two stages. The selection committee looks at academic record and experience, motivation and what the applicant would gain from the week, and interest in astronomy and astrophysics. It aims for a group that brings together different countries and backgrounds.
Applicants fill in the online form and upload their CV and a motivation letter, both as PDF. Certificates, for example of competitions, olympiads, or courses, can be added. Applications close at 23:59 Central European Time.
Shortlisted applicants are invited by email to a 20-minute online interview with members of the selection committee. It is a conversation about the applicant's interests, experience, and motivation, and requires no preparation beyond the application itself.
All applicants are told the outcome by email. Selected participants confirm their place within two weeks; if a place is declined, it is offered to the next applicant on the waiting list.
Participants receive their invitation letters for visa applications, arrange their journey, and receive the detailed program and practical information. Participants under 18 return a consent form signed by a parent or guardian.
One to two pages, in English. Explain how you would benefit from the week and what you hope to take from it, and describe your experience with physics and astronomy so far: a project you have carried out, what you have read or taught yourself, a competition, a question that has kept you busy. A personal, specific letter says more than a long list of achievements.
No. The lectures start from school physics and mathematics. What we look for is a real interest in physics and astronomy and some experience of working on a scientific question yourself.
Yes. Ten of the fifteen places are open to all applicants, and alumni of the masterclass are assessed by the same criteria as everyone else.
No. Applying is free, and so is taking part.
No. The program is for high school students, high school graduates who start university in 2027, and undergraduate (Bachelor) students.
No. The program is designed as one week for one group, and participants are expected to attend from arrival on Sunday to departure on Saturday.
Participants book an economy journey to Geneva and back and are reimbursed up to USD 1,250 against receipts after the program. Participants who cannot pay in advance can ask the A&A Academic Office to book the journey for them.
Parents cannot take part in the program. The group is supervised throughout the week, and the A&A Academic Office stays in contact with the parents of participants under 18.
Your data and documents are used only for the selection and the organisation of the program and are seen only by the selection committee. The data of applicants who are not selected are deleted six months after the decision.
No. The program is organised and funded by the A&A Academic Office and takes place at CERN. The name CERN is used to describe the place of the program.
Applications are open until 27 December 2026, 23:59 Central European Time. For questions about the program or your application, please contact Stefan Amberg, program coordinator at the A&A Academic Office, at info@aamasterclass.org.
Image credits, via Wikimedia Commons. CERN Globe of Science and Innovation at night: Maximilien Brice (CERN), CC BY-SA 3.0. ALPHA experiment in CERN's Antimatter Factory: Suaudeau, CC BY-SA 4.0. Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the ISS (iss075e0086247): NASA, Public domain (NASA). CERN Data Centre: SimonWaldherr, CC BY-SA 4.0. CMS detector at the LHC: SimonWaldherr, CC BY-SA 4.0. RADES detector at the CAST axion helioscope: CERN, CC BY-SA 4.0. CLOUD experiment in CERN's East Area: Maximilien Brice, CC BY 4.0. CERN Science Gateway: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net), CC BY-SA 4.0. Geneva and Lake Geneva: Viktar Palstsiuk, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cosmic microwave background seen by Planck: ESA and the Planck Collaboration, CC BY 4.0. Images are cropped and resized; adaptations of CC BY-SA images are shared under the same licence.
