FromIrvineToCern
Being at CERN
Here we collect some accumulated knowledge useful for people coming from Irvine to CERN. Please feel free to add the pieces of information that you think might be useful to the other members of the group.
First time at CERN
Before leaving you should read visit the
ATLAS Collaboration web page, in particular the section
General -> General Information
, and make sure that you don't forget in the US any document that you might need later on in Geneva. Go through the
Registration instructions. If possible, fill in the
CERN registration form and the
ATLAS registration form beforehand, and get them signed. You will also need a
declaration from your home institution; ask your advisor or Terri about this.
Non-UE citizens staying at CERN more than three months need a visa (you can find more information about the visa process
at this link from the users' office ).
Physicists (or people at CERN) use a lot of jargon, and they love acronyms.
< Anecdotal evidence >
: NewStudent : "Where can I find all these acronyms?" Professor : "You can look them up in the TDR."
< /Anecdotal evidence >
If you are getting lost, you can find some explanation of these acronyms at the following links:
ATLAS-related,
general-HEP-CERN-related,
general-HEP-FNAL,
very-general
Where is...
In the map below
(follow this link to explore the map) you'll probably find most of the places that you need to know in the area. If you want to find a particular building at CERN, use
this map instead. For moving around with public transportation, see the
TPG website.
Flying in
There is a CERN shuttle that runs about every hour (Mon-Fri, 8:00--19:00). You can find its schedule and pickup/dropoff locations
at this link. They might ask you to show your CERN card when you get on the shuttle. Otherwise you can use public transportation (see
tpg.ch. Enter 'Aeroport' as your origin, and 'CERN' as your destination. You can either take the Y line (direct, does not run very frequently), or get a bus to reach 'Blandonnet' where you can get on the tram 18 going to CERN. Starting from 1 January 2008, the GVA airport offers every passenger arriving in Geneva a free bus ticket: get your ticket at the machine in the baggage reclaim hall. If you have a lot of luggage, you might want to try and arrange for someone to pick you up at the GVA arrival area.
Registration etc.
The usual steps are:
The
US ATLAS website also has a very useful page describing the registration process.
The UCI office
The UCI office is in 104/R-C29 (Bld.104, "R" floor, room C29): at the entrance follow the corridor on the right, second door on your left. Follow the anteater.
Computers, printers
In the office there are some screens and a server: There are also network plugs for latops and the CERN wireless. You need to register your laptop
here. The nearest printer is
104-RC12-MCANON
(by the coffee machine, to scan use the code 2201). You can configure it on your laptop, or print from lxplus
lpr -P 104-RC12-MCANON
. You can find a list of printers
at the printservice.
printing on OSX
In order to set up a printer on OSX, go to
Settings>Print&Scan
and click the
+
symbol to add a new printer. In the
Add Printer
dialog, select the
IP
tab, and enter the following information:
Protocol: Line Printer Daemon - LPD / Address: <printer name>.print.cern.ch / Queue: <printer name>
todo Add info about server accounts
Telephones
The phone number in the office is +41-22-76-71999 (71999 from any CERN phone). From this phone you can reach:
- any other CERN phone (just the last 5 digits that you get from the CERN phonebook)
- the Geneva local area (0-022-xxx xxxx)
- the French local area (10-04-50 xx xx xx).
You might want to get a swiss mobile. They sell them at the post office.
Fax
Anyone still using it, really? you can get a fax number from your
account management page MyAccounts
->
Services
. Then you can send/receive faxes from your email.
Quick practical stuff
Money
- Cash: there are ATMs at CERN (restaurant 1, next to UBS, get CHF) and in Saint Genis-Pouilly (get EUR). If you have a Bank of America account you can get cash from BNP in Saint Genis (see its location on the map); this bank is associated with Bank of America, and allows you to withdraw cash without any extra fee.
- Using your credit/debit card: you might want to check here the eventual fee you'll pay for your transactions
- ...
Housing
- At the CERN housing website you can find information about the CERN hostel, as well as a list of hotels in the area.
- You might want to check the CERN market for sublets
- todo add here info about the mini-apart
Transportation
- Go to the TPG office at Gare Cornavin and get a weekly/monthly regional pass (good for all trams and busses in Geneva).
- If you live in Saint-Genis, you'll want to get a multi-region pass including zone 86, for Ferney-Voltaire, add zone 87.
- There is a discount if you're age 25 or under.
- http://tpg.ch for schedules, stop locations, etc.
Communication
- There are several prepaid cellular services, many of which can be bought at a postoffice or convenience store:
- Yallo - Very cheap calling to USA ($0.03/min), reasonably priced prepaid data.
- orange
- ...
- Bring a phone w/ global capability and a SIM card slot, or purchase a cheapo one at the CERN postoffice.
Health insurance
TBD
CERN: Buying, shipping, and EDH
TBD
Buy stuff
Useful contacts at CERN
Useful links
Things to do and see in the area
Get delicious bread, pastries, wine, and pizza (see
IrvineCern map). Take a guided tour of CERN (see
visits service). Attend some
summer student lectures. Walk by the locations listed on the
unofficial CERN tourism map
Major updates:
--
DavideGerbaudo - 07-Jul-2013
Initial skeleton --
DavideGerbaudo - 07-Jul-2013 First version --
DavideGerbaudo - 11-Jul-2013
Responsible:
DavideGerbaudo
Last reviewed by:
Never reviewed