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A one-day Workshop titled "CERN@70: Inspiring the Future" was held on May 7, 2024, at the Junaid Zaidi Library, Video Conference Hall, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad Campus. This Workshop was jointly organized by the Directorate of Planning, Development, and Human Resource Development and Department of Physics.
The aim of the Workshop was to commemorate the 70th anniversary of European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) and to provide insights into its evolution and research programs over the decades. After the registration and opening ceremony three technical sessions were conducted.
In the Opening Session distinguished guests, including Dr. Masood Iqbal, Member Sci-ence, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, and Dr. Syed Muhammad Junaid Zaidi, H.I., S.I, Founder Rector of CUI, graced the ceremony as a Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour re-spectively. The program commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran. Dr. Tahir Naeem, Director P, D and HRD welcomed the participants. He highlighted the Pak-CERN collaboration and recapitulated the state and status of relationship with the CERN. He reflected on engagement and contributions of Pakistani Universities/Institutions in different projects at CERN. He urged the participants, particularly the students, to participate effectively in CERN programmes by pursuing higher studies in particle and high-energy physics and other related fields. He expressed hope that the continued relationship with CERN would open new horizons in science, technology, and innovation for Pakistani scientists, engineers, and students.
The Chief Guest and the Guest of Honor emphasized the profound significance of com-memorating CERN’s 70 years of scientific excellence. They reflected on CERN’s pivotal role as a global leader in particle physics, particularly highlighting the Nobel Prize-winning dis-covery of the Higgs Boson. The speakers traced Pakistan’s collaborative journey with CERN since 1994, applauding the nation's significant contributions to various research projects. They emphasized the expansion of collaboration beyond the CMS experiment to encompass ALICE, MEDICIS, and other domains, fostering opportunities for Pakistani researchers and students. Moreover, they acknowledged the critical role of institutions like CUI and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in advancing scientific culture and infrastructure in Pakistan and ex-pressed optimism about future collaborations, including initiatives like the Future Circular Collider Feasibility Study. Overall, their remarks encapsulated the shared commitment to ad-vancing scientific research and development through fruitful partnerships between Pakistan and CERN. The Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour were presented with University Souve-nirs and a vote of thanks by the Rector of COMSATS University Islamabad. The Opening Session concluded with a group photograph.
After a tea/coffee break, the Workshop proceeded with invited talks on the evolution of CERN and its research programs. Dr. Zafar Yasin, Director of the PAK-CERN Secretariat, highlighted the three decades of collaboration between Pakistan and CERN. He provided an in-depth overview of this collaboration and discussed opportunities for students and researchers at CERN, acknowledging the contributions and achievements of the collaborating institutes.
Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad, Director of Experimental High Energy Physics, National Center for Physics, Islamabad, discussed the CMS experiment and NCP's contributions to detector technology. He showcased ongoing projects and their applications at CERN.
Dr. Shahid Qamar, a professor from Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences, presented on the significance of quantum computing at CERN, focusing on the Open Quantum Institute (OQI) and the potential of quantum computing through quantum algorithms.
Dr. Marco Van Leeuwen, ALICE Spokesperson from CERN Geneva, participated virtually. He provided an overview of CERN's collaborating institutes, focusing on the ALICE collaboration, its physics, results from RUN3, and future prospects. He also acknowledged CUI's contributions to the ITS2 upgrade and physics activities.
Dr. Sumera Javeed, a scientist from PINSTECH Islamabad, spoke on the design and development of a 6-20 MeV linear accelerator for research, medical, and industrial applications. She detailed the objectives of linear accelerators and highlighted ongoing projects, seeking collaboration on various technical aspects.
Following a networking lunch/prayer break, the program resumed with discussions on Pakistani institutions' contributions to CERN's agenda. Dr. Uzma Tabassam, along with team members Dr. Yasir Ali, Dr. Jamila Bashir Butt, and Dr. Ali Zaman from the Department of Physics, discussed the ALICE experiment and physics data analysis. She outlined the processes to understand the Big Bang and the existence of Quark-Gluon Plasma, highlighting the group's research contributions.
Dr. Fahad Bhopal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at CUI, presented on the upgrade of the ALICE ITS. He detailed CUI's role in the design and development of the Si-Pixel Detector for the ALICE experiment, focusing on technical aspects and simulations that enhance the detector's performance.
Dr. Jamil Aslam, Professor in the Department of Physics at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, discussed the Standard Model of particle physics, emphasizing the significance of the Higgs Boson and recent measurements of Pions and their implications.
Mr. Raise Akram from the CUI outlined their contributions to the ALICE upgrade project, focusing on the transition from readout system development to the commissioning of the ITS. They highlighted key achievements, including the characterization of the Investigator-1 chip, the development of the ALICE ITS Emulator, and firmware upgrades for the Beam Loss Monitor.
In the end of every Session, shields and Certificates of Participation were presented to the invited speakers as acknowledgement of their contribution. The participants were also presented with the Certificates. The event concluded with closing remarks, followed by a tea session. The hosts conveyed their sincere thanks to all the speakers and participants.
The Workshop was attended by around 100 participants including disciplinary experts from different national institutions and universities in Pakistan as well by the number of students.
Both the speakers and the participants expressed their profound appreciation for the invaluable information and knowledge they gained during the Workshop.