Dundee on collider course

THE University of Dundee is the first Scottish university to join a world-class experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider.

The uni is joining the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) collaboration at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), which operates the experiment on the French-Swiss border.

The CMS is one of two “general purpose” detectors at the LHC facility. It aims to investigate scientific theories in areas of physics such as extra dimensions and dark matter. As part of the university’s partnership with CERN, academics and students will be able to travel to the collider itself.

P ro fe s s o r S i r Pe t e Downes, principal and vice-chancellor of t he University of Dundee, said: “This is a significant recognition of our work at Dundee, particularly i n applied sciences and engineering, and not only offers opportunities for our researchers t o be involved, but for our students as well.”