"Institutional sessions, debates, international guests and open days marked the celebrations of LIP’s 40th anniversary in Coimbra, Braga and Lisbon."
Between 4 and 8 May, LIP celebrated its 40th anniversary with a commemorative week that brought together researchers, students, institutional partners and the general public across the Laboratory’s three nodes. Throughout the week, the programme combined institutional reflection, science, international collaboration and public engagement, celebrating four decades of research, advanced training and Portuguese participation in major international scientific infrastructures.
Coimbra: science, memory and national impact
The celebrations began in Coimbra with the session “LIP: 40 Years of Science and National Impact”, hosted by UC Exploratório.
The opening session featured interventions by Manuel Valença, from UC Exploratório, Patrícia Gonçalves, President of the LIP Directorate, and Amílcar Ferreira, Rector of the University of Coimbra. The programme also included a presentation by Rui Ferreira Marques, Emeritus Professor at the University of Coimbra and a key figure in the history of particle physics in Portugal, dedicated to the origins and foundations of the Laboratory. This was followed by the presentation “LIP Today”, delivered by Alberto Blanco, Director of LIP, focusing on the Laboratory’s current scientific activity and its national and international positioning. The morning concluded with the round table “Particle Physics: Discover, Collaborate, Transform – The role of fundamental science in the development of society”, moderated by Alberto Blanco and featuring Antero Abrunhosa (ICNAS), Sandra Carvalho (FCTUC), Nuno Castro (University of Minho and LIP), Paulo Brás (LIP) and Afonso Marques, a LIP PhD student.
Throughout the morning, participants also had the opportunity to visit several exhibition spaces at Exploratório, including the area dedicated to LIP and the particle chambers developed in collaboration with the Laboratory, as well as the exhibition “Mirrors: Inside and Outside Reality”.
In the afternoon, the Coimbra node of LIP, located at the Department of Physics of the University of Coimbra, hosted its first-ever Open Day. The initiative welcomed dozens of visitors, including students, friends and family members, as well as the general public, who took part in guided visits, experimental demonstrations and science outreach activities.
Advanced computing and digital infrastructures
On 5 May, the programme continued online with the Advanced Computing Day, dedicated to LIP’s role in advanced computing infrastructures and data science. The initiative highlighted the Laboratory’s activities in High-Performance Computing (HPC), distributed infrastructures and data science, including the launch of introductory MOOCs in this area and content dedicated to LIP’s participation in national and European infrastructures.
Braga: the internationalisation of science
In Braga, 6 May was dedicated to the internationalisation of science, bringing together academic representatives, researchers and partners connected to international collaboration and large-scale scientific infrastructures.
The programme included the session “LIP, CERN and Particle Physics”, presented by Raúl Sarmento, and the colloquium “Born in Fire and Stone: Neutrino Probes of the Sun and Earth”, delivered by Mark Chen (Queen’s University, Canada / SNO+ Collaboration), which explored the study of neutrinos and their contribution to understanding the Sun and the Earth.
During the afternoon, the B-Lounge at the General Library of the University of Minho hosted the round table “Internationalisation of Science”, bringing together António Salgado (Vice-Rector of the University of Minho), José Meijome (President of the School of Sciences of the University of Minho), Mark Chen, Ana Peixoto (Industrial Liaison Officer for CERN at AI²), Guilherme Milhano (Director of LIP) and Nuno Barros (Director of LIP), who moderated the session.
The Minho node also hosted, for the first time, an Open Day directed at schools and the general public, further strengthening the Laboratory’s connection with the local community and territory.
Lisbon: science for the future
The celebrations concluded in Lisbon with the Solemn Session “Science for the Future”, which brought together institutional representatives, former members of the LIP Directorate, national and international partners, and members of the scientific community.
The session was opened by Patrícia Gonçalves, President of the LIP Directorate, Luís Ferreira, Rector of the University of Lisbon, and Helena Canhão, Secretary of State for Science and Innovation. One of the central moments of the session was the intervention by Fabiola Gianotti, former Director-General of CERN, dedicated to the role of fundamental science, international collaboration and large scientific infrastructures in shaping the future.
Among the invited guests were representatives from universities, research centres, scientific institutions and strategic partners of LIP, including Manuel Heitor, Rui Ferreira Marques, Nuno Castro, João Carvalho, representatives from the University of Coimbra, the University of Minho, Instituto Superior Técnico, the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), the Portuguese Agency for Research and Innovation (AI²), and several institutions linked to science and innovation in Portugal.
Following the session, guests took part in an institutional reception that included the signing of the LIP Book of Honour.
Also in Lisbon, the LIP Open Day once again welcomed dozens of visitors of different ages to discover laboratories, experiments, infrastructures and scientific projects developed at the Laboratory.
A celebration of the LIP community
Throughout the week, the different initiatives promoted not only reflection on LIP’s path over the past four decades, but also interaction between researchers, students, partners and civil society, in an atmosphere that was simultaneously institutional, welcoming and informal.
The celebrations of LIP’s 40th anniversary reinforced the Laboratory’s role as a reference institution in experimental particle physics and related areas, as well as its continued commitment to science, advanced training, innovation and engagement with society.