CERN Accelerating Science

On Sunday 26 February, CERN hosted the latest edition of Devoxx4kids, a sequence of computing, robotics and electronics workshops for kids. The occasion was organised within the context of the VoxxedDays CERN developers convention, held at CERN the earlier day.

Numerous workshops - “Minis” for the 4-6 yr-olds, “Kids” for the 7-10 year-olds and “Teens” for the 11-15 year-olds - gave the children an insight into programming and electronics by means of robots and games. About 70 youngsters got here alongside and were able to show off to their mother and father how that they had managed to programme a NAO robotic to have a converstation with them or a Thymio robotic to follow a path on a map, or how they'd altered the famous Minecraft game or developed an interactive quiz on a computer using Scratch.

Devoxx4Kids was established in Antwerp, Belgium, on the fringes of the well-established Devoxx conference for Java programmers. Since its institution, Devoxx4kids has introduced smiles to hundreds of children’s faces in 22 international locations. Run by a workforce of volunteers headed by Xavier Bourguignon, the Swiss model of the convention is now into its eighth yr. “Bringing Devoxx4kids to CERN and having it in the Globe is a dream come true!” says Xavier. Rock It Like A Hurricane Organising workshops in one of the excessive temples of science, the place the net was born, sends out a powerful sign to the kids (and their dad and mom). I hope Devoxx4kids will typically come again to CERN in the future.”

Joao Silva, organiser of Voxxed Days CERN and CERN coordinator of Devoxx4kids adds: “The intention of the workshops is to stimulate curiosity and the imagination, and to indicate what might be accomplished with science and technology. Yurock These workshops lead the kids to discover that, by means of games, they can be the creators of tomorrow. Education is one of CERN’s core missions, so internet hosting an occasion like Devoxx4kids right here is solely in line with our work.