Beamline for Schools – You can be a scientist!
Did you ever wonder what it is like to be a scientist? The Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition is your chance to experience it. High-school students from all around the world can join the adventure. Jump into the world of particle physics and think of a simple and creative experiment!
Who is eligible?
The competition is open to teams of high-school students from all around the world. The winning teams are invited to a particle physics accelerator to run their experiment. Participating teams must consist of at least five students and at least one adult team coach. Teams may consist of students from a single school or a number of schools from different countries. At most, nine students and two coaches per winning team will be invited to a particle accelerator (incl. travel, accommodation, and meals). Take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Which experiments can be proposed?
Your team is free to propose any experiment that involves the use of the beamline available for the competition. When you first meet with your team mates and you decide to take part in Beamline for Schools, you are not expected to know much about particle physics, particle accelerators, or particle detectors.
The starting points to conceive an experiment are (1) understanding what particle physics experiments with accelerators look like and (2) finding an idea that is interesting for your team.
Keep in mind that your experiment should not cause any safety concerns. The technical feasibility will be an important criterion for the selection of the winning proposals. We know that judging which experiments are safe and feasible, may be difficult for you. Refer to our Beam & Detectors document for further information. Moreover, get in touch with one of our national contacts or with us. All the details about the structure of the experimental proposal can be found here.
When is the deadline for the proposal submission?
The deadline to submit a proposal for BL4S 2025 is 10 April 2025 at 23:59 CEST. The results will be announced in June 2025.
Watch this video to learn more about BL4S!
Further questions?
Please first read our FAQs. Most questions we receive are already answered in there.
See our national contacts for several countries to get help in your language. Join our BL4S Facebook group and discuss with like-minded students and teachers from all around the world.
More questions? Contact us directly via bl4s.team@cern.ch.