Intern at Cern: "It’s a childhood dream come true”

Sometimes childhood dreams do come true. That is certainly the case if you ask Dot Pio, who is studying physics at DTU. She is currently undertaking an internship at Cern, where particle physics research is conducted at the very highest level. And she has been dreaming of this since primary school.

“I was very young when I discovered that atoms existed, and that there were actually people researching them and trying to figure out how the universe works,” explains Dot Pio.
She realised she wanted to be a physicist, and ever since then, both quantum physics and particle physics have fascinated her. Right now, however, it is the latter that takes up most of her time.

“It’s amazing to be an intern at Cern. I’ve always imagined what it would be like, and now it’s happening. I’m learning a lot of new things, but I’m also drawing on all the theoretical knowledge I’ve already gained thanks to my studies, and that’s brilliant. It feels good to apply my academic knowledge to real-world problems,” says Dot Pio.

Cern is located in Switzerland and is best described as a huge physics laboratory dedicated to particle physics research. It is a European research collaboration, but few Danish students and researchers end up there.

“There aren’t many Danes down here now, and that’s a shame, if you ask me. Because there’s a lot of knowledge to be gained, as well as knowledge we can contribute. Students can, for example, write their bachelor’s thesis or their master’s thesis down here. You can also come for a summer internship or, like me, for a longer internship. There are so many opportunities, but I know very few people back at DTU who are aware of this,” explains Dot Pio.

She continues:

“I’d like to encourage other DTU students to take the plunge and spend time abroad, especially at Cern, and I really hope that my story can be a source of inspiration. My motto is that anything is possible, including fulfilling your childhood dreams.”