As part of Job Shadow Day, from April 2–4, five high school students will travel to Switzerland to gain firsthand insight into the work of Latvian scientists – physicists and engineers – at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The Ministry of Education and Science ensures Latvia’s participation in CERN both financially and strategically, promoting the involvement of researchers and entrepreneurs in the activities of this international organization.
This experience offers young people a unique opportunity to observe how Latvian researchers contribute to CERN projects and to explore how they themselves might engage in science and innovation in the future. Scientists express their gratitude to all applicants for their well-thought-out and creative motivation letters, as well as for their keen interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field. The selected students traveling to CERN are: Anna Bēta, a 12th-grade student at the Liepāja Oskars Kalpaks Secondary School; Evita Mārtinsone, an 11th-grade student at the Sigulda State Gymnasium; Kristaps Felkers, a 12th-grade student at the Riga Jugla Secondary School; Kristīne Ella Slaidiņa, an the 11th-grade student at the Bauska State Gymnasium; Pēteris Teodors Skrastiņš, a 12th-grade student at the Rīga Technical University (RTU) Engineering High School.
Support from the Ministry enables Latvian scientists to participate in world-class research, develop new technologies, and strengthen the country’s scientific progress in high-energy physics and accelerator technology. One of the most important support mechanisms is the national research program "High-Energy Physics and Accelerator Technologies", implemented between 2022 and 2026.
The program aims to enhance Latvian scientists' engagement in CERN projects by fostering the participation of young researchers, including doctoral students, in international experiments and innovation development. The program is carried out by the Rīga Technical University, University of Latvia (UL), and the Institute of Solid-State Physics at the UL.
In addition, approximately 2.89 EUR million is allocated annually from the state budget to cover Latvia’s participation in CERN, including funding for the National Contact Point in Latvia, experiment participation fees, the maintenance of the CERN Tier-2 Computing Center, as well as communication and educational activities. Currently, Latvia holds CERN Associate Member status, and the Ministry continues to support the country's progress towards full CERN membership. This transition is being implemented in accordance with the Ministry's plan for the implementation of Latvia’s CERN strategy.
CERN Job Shadow Participants in 2025
In 2025, five high school students have been selected to explore the work of Latvian scientists at CERN as part of Job Shadow Day:
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Anna Bēta will shadow Dace Osīte, a doctoral student in the "Particle Physics and Accelerator Technologies" program at the RTU and the UL. Dace works on the CERN CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment, utilizing programming skills for data analysis related to elementary particles—specifically, top quarks.
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Evita Mārtinsone will shadow Patrīcija Kalniņa, a doctoral student in the same RTU and UL program and a researcher in the CERN-MEDICIS (Medical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE) experiment. Patrīcija’s daily work involves radioactive substances that can be used in medicine to treat oncological diseases.
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Kristaps Felkers will shadow Kārlis Dreimanis, Director of the RTU Institute of Particle Physics and Accelerator Technologies. Kārlis leads the Latvian research group at CERN, working on the CMS experiment – one of the four major physics experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest scientific instrument. Around 6,000 people from nearly 60 countries work on CMS, including Latvian researchers conducting top quark, Higgs boson, and Standard Model vector boson measurements, as well as developing a new particle detection system – the MIP Timing Detector (MTD).
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Meanwhile, Kristīne Ella Slaidiņa will shadow Andris Ratkus, a leading researcher at RTU, whose role is to coordinate the work of Latvia's accelerator group in CERN’s international projects I.FAST and HITRIplus. These projects aim to develop new accelerator technologies to advance biophysics and medical research, particularly in cancer treatment using heavy ion therapy.
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On the other hand, Pēteris Teodors Skrastiņš will shadow Guntis Pikurs, an RTU researcher who is the first doctoral graduate to have completed his dissertation at CERN. Guntis works with additive manufacturing technologies, exploring their applications in accelerator construction.
Scientists are pleased to see that many young people in Latvia wish to pursue careers in exact sciences and natural sciences. This gives hope that a new generation is emerging in Latvia, one that will be able to continue the work of Latvian scientists at CERN.
For 70 years, CERN has been the world’s leading scientific center, contributing to groundbreaking discoveries – including the invention of the World Wide Web (www) and the confirmation of the Higgs boson’s existence.
In Latvia, Job Shadow Day will take place on April 4, and potential participants can still apply until the end of March to explore the work of their chosen professionals by registering on enudiena.lv.