Haryo Sumowidagdo: Indonesian Scientists at CERN Geneva, Switzerland
For those of you who have read Dan Brown's novel, entitled Angel and Demon, certainly no stranger to CERN  the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Acceleration of a complex of laboratories in the world's largest particle that lies on the border between France and Switzerland, just west of Geneva, which has its own appeal for physics enthusiasts. That was where thousands of scientists who are half particle physics community, to experiment with. 

But who presume someone Indonesia was among the thousands of scientists. One of them is Haryo Sumowidagdo. Men who steal a Ph.D. from Florida State University and S1 and S2 at the University of Indonesia

Activities at CERN

There are three main activities at CERN, namely as a technician, supervisor, and physicists. As a technician, he wrote a control program for control and experimental tools. Tool particle physics experiments are not sold in stores. All must be made and done their own. So do not be surprised if the particle physics experiments often have expertise outside of physics, it's all because the call of duty.

As a mentor, he guides and a place to ask the student's doctoral program. Interaction with the students going in both directions, because he also asked them sometimes.

As a physicist, Haryo analyzed data for measuring physical quantities or to find new discoveries in the field of physics. Then of course, write and publish scientific articles in scientific journals.

There are four events that he has not much to do, namely, popularizing science and technology to the public. At CERN, the main obstacle for Harya is not fluent in French. He started a blog recently in the Indonesian language for these activities, so do not forget to check out their blogs after reading this article.

Currently the project involved Haryo Large Hadron Collider (LHC) indirectly. He became a member of the Compact Muon Solenois (CMS), a particle physics experiment located at the LHC. LHC itself is part of the CERN.

LHC is an accelerator / particle accelerators. Accelerator is a machine that could speed things up. Similar to the gas pedal on a car that can increase the speed of the car from rest to high speeds. Particle (adapted from Arabic) is something very small, invisible, but it is the raw material that makes up all the things that we see around us. In the LHC, particle-particle accelerated to near light speed. Particle-particle high-speed, then at each ditubrukkan. In such collisions could create other particle-particle is then viewed by means of particle physics experiments.

LHC is an underground tunnel that form circular path with a diameter of eight miles. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport can be placed in the LHC ring. Location of the LHC is near the city of Geneva in Switzerland. Part of the LHC ring in the territory of France, partly in the territory of Switzerland.


Map & air condition diagram underground LHC

Accelerator is not umum.Kalau items not you ever seen the TV or computer monitor earlier times still use the screen, it is actually an accelerator as well. At the back of the TV / monitor screen there is accelerated particle accelerators, and particle was then pound the glass screen. Glass screen and shines, and we can see the picture on the screen. LHC is just a much larger size of the TV, and also more complicated than TV.

As ideals Small

Current profession is not in accordance with his ideals since childhood. When Haryo in grade school, he really wanted to be a farmer and want to get IPB. The reason is because he was impressed with the story of Little House (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder that tells how farmers can become a prosperous, independent, and living from the business and his own land . When in junior high and then changed, want to be a computer engineering degree. Age was a new personal computer entered in Indonesia and he was one of the lucky people can use computers.

Last in high school, then Haryo starting to like the physics seriously. In class III high school, he applied for the program without admissions tests at the University of Indonesia (UI). He chose physics and received. As in Physics UI, he met with the late Prof.. Darmadi Kusno and Dr. Terry Mart. They both gave great influence to him so Haryo finally established with the goal to become a physicist. Mr. Darmadi This is a teacher and mentor Mr. Terry Mart and Mr. Yohanes Surya. Mr. Terry Mart became the thesis supervisor. Haryo feel proud and grateful to be given an opportunity to be his disciples, and even now he remains respectful and have a good relationship with him.

Haryo addition, there are also other Indonesian people who joined at CERN, the Blessing of the University of Mississippi and Romulus GODANG from the University of South Alabama. They both are members of CMS, so they are also involved with CERN. They are still in the United States and not given the opportunity to visit and work at CERN.

Originally Join the CERN

Beginning of the story Haryo joined at CERN started from an article in the Kompas dated June 8, 1994, entitled An Indonesian physicists Engage Top Quark Discovery. The article tells the story of a physics graduate of the UI through doctoral studies in the United States (U.S.) and working at Fermilab (such as a physics laboratory CERN, located near Chicago, United States). Alumni are involved in particle physics experiments that found the top quark, one of the elementary particles. The discovery of top quark is one of very important discoveries in physics, equivalent to the discovery of other important discoveries that have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Although later Haryo completed undergraduate thesis topic of physics with theoretical particle physics, the impression left by the article is very deep.

When he was accepted as a doctoral student in the U.S., Haryo really want to continue to return to nuclear physics / theoretical particles. However, it turns out the professor in the field of nuclear physics / theoretical particle has led too many doctoral students so that they no longer had a scholarship for new students. In contrast, professors of particle physics experiments have scholarships, and they would gladly accept it as a student. Research particle physics experiments they conducted at Fermilab. Here he recalled the story in that article and then decide to join the group experimental particle physics research. So he moved from theory to experiment, though still particle physics.

After completing his studies, Haryo got a job as postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). Groups of particle physics research at UCR are involved in the CMS experiment at CERN called, and he will be stationed at CERN. Beginning in 2009, Haryo moved from Fermilab in Chicago to CERN in Geneva, and since then he worked there.

To go to CERN was no special selection or through certain. A person need not be a CERN employee to work at CERN, but can become doctoral students or researchers in research groups doing research at CERN. Haryo not employees of CERN, but it is placed at CERN. Similar to a State Department employee stationed at RI headquarters UN. They are not UN employees but working at the UN headquarters. But, of course, must be doctoral students or researchers in advance.

Indonesian young people who are interested in working at CERN, they must complete the first undergraduate education. Then proceed to graduate studies and joined the university / research groups that have research activities at CERN. There are many universities / research institutions (PT / LP) who conducted research at CERN (approximately 500-600an) from around the world (66 countries) . At present, scholarships for education abroad is very much so opportunities wide open for anyone who would try and work hard.

According to Haryo, cause very few people in Indonesia who work the field of particle physics experiment is due to ignorance, and not because of incompetence. The absence of experimental particle physics research in Indonesia was not a problem: Experience Haryo and several colleagues from Indonesia indicate that the physics graduate college graduates in Indonesia could be completed graduate studies in the field of experimental particle physics.

Scientists at CERN from 66 countries have institutions that participate in the research at CERN. Then there was another 66 people from outside this country who work for one of PT / LP in 66 countries (as Haryo example, he came from Indonesia, which does not have PT / LP is doing research at CERN, but he worked for UCR is doing research at CERN). There are currently 97 citizens from countries that are at CERN.

CERN itself has a staff of about 2,500 people, and there are about 10,000 people who visit each year as guest researcher. CERN is one of the largest international organization in Geneva.

Going Home and Future Plans

Haryo When asked whether to return to Indonesia, he replied that the return to Indonesia has not become a priority within dekat.Alasannya was because he was not sure whether Indonesia already available in adequate infrastructure to start research activities in particle physics experiments. Need to understand that the infrastructure does not mean an accelerator, such as the LHC or large laboratories like CERN. Accelerator is not needed in Indonesia, because there were plenty of accelerators in other places.

Similarly, there were plenty of particle physics experiments currently running, so do not need to start a new experiment from scratch. Infrakstruktur is intended as a high-speed internet network, electronics and manufacturing industries, and political support for research in the long term (more than 10 years). Although the necessary infrastructure is not a lighthouse project, still takes great effort to incorporate a variety of infrastructure to form a particle physics research real experiments. Even in countries more advanced than anything that Indonesia is not easy. For example, recently he had heard that some physicists from the National University of Singapore submitted a proposal to join the CMS. But then they pulled back this proposal, because there are problems with the technical and funding. And in Singapore research activities and its infrastructure is better than Indonesia.

The plans for the future is, in the long term, he plans to have an established career in the field of experimental particle physics. In addition to particle physics experiments, he was also attracted to some areas that are closely related to particle physics, such as instrumentation, medical physics, and grid computing technologies. Several months Haryo also much discussion with senior professors on how to pursue and develop careers in the field of physics. The road ahead is still long and heavy, but Haryo optimistic that he will find a way to make the plan a reality. Another obsession, he also wanted to be a writer.
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