Universe On Her Shoulders

摘要

Ccern is such a rich environment: there are people from all over the world, young students work with established scientists and Nobel prizewinners. So geographical origin, age and gender make no difference here. I don't feel there is anything special about a woman leading a big scientific project. On the other hand, I hope that as a woman scientist who has achieved a level of visibility in a big experiment like ATLAS, I can be an encouragement to young women who are thinking of a scientific career.rnWhy did you decide to become a particle physicist?rnI came to physics from very far away. When I was a young girl, I loved art and music. I had been studying piano quite seriously at a conservatory and had taken courses in high school targeted towards literature, languages like ancient Greek and Latin, philosophy and history of art. I loved these subjects but I wasrnalso a very curious little girl. I was fascinated by the big questions. Why are things the way they are? This possibility of answering fundamental questions has always attracted me - my mind, my spirit, everything.rnSo, when I had to choose what I wanted to do with my life, I thought that physics could answer these big questions in a more concrete way than philosophy. I was right - in that I'm very happy now.