Paper short abstract:

The paper investigates the development of a functioning particle accelerator for CERN’s science center. Looking at science communication and instrumentation practices in the making of this instrument, it discusses material transformations, interdisciplinary collaboration, and imaginaries of publics.

Paper long abstract:

Science museums in Europe experiment with putting research laboratories on display to increase public understanding of science (Meyer, 2011). A similar attempt is being carried out in a physics laboratory’s science center, CERN Science Gateway. A small yet functional particle accelerator will be on display for visitors and a tool to perform demonstrations and conduct research for scientists.

The paper investigates how the interplay between science communication and instrumentation practices is shaping this scientific instrument for such a public venue. It draws on ethnographic research at CERN encompassing participant observations, interviews, and analysis of documentation. It describes how representations of science and technology are carried, negotiated, and materialized into both the exhibition space and the instrument.

It discusses the influences of organizational structures and interdisciplinary collaboration gathering members specialized in physics, engineering, and science communication. It documents how publics are imagined and how various uses of the device are temporarily configured based on these constructs. It finally reflects on our role as researchers contributing to this project.

Shifting the focus away from the gigantic instruments of Big science, this research shed light on a growing emerging technology, compact particle accelerators designed for applied uses. It also documents the process, challenges, and provisional outcomes faced by a globally renowned research laboratory aiming to make science in public.

Reference

Meyer, M. (2011). Researchers on display : Moving the laboratory into the museum. Museum Management and Curatorship, 26(3), 261 272.