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Students-2012

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About CERN openlab

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Guiding Principles

Student Guide 2011

This short guide had been written in the first place by two former openlab students and is now updated every year in May. Its main purpose is to help you have the best time possible during your stay at CERN. First and foremost, being at CERN is a wonderful opportunity. You¹ll get to work with very experienced staff on a cutting edge technology, and hopefully contribute something meaningful to it yourself.

That said, coming to CERN has some peculiarities that you need to take into account when you plan your trip. Don¹t be overly concerned by this, its all doable (we both managed it!), it just takes a little preparation.

Discussion Group
A note on money
Getting to CERN
Arriving at CERN
Maps of the area
Transport
Accommodation
Language
Weather
Fun
Shopping
Assorted tips and tricks

Discussion Group

First, to help you stay in touch with us, and to let you talk to each other, we have set up a google group for you students. You can find it at http://groups.google.com/group/openlabstudents . You will have to sign up for a google identity if you don¹t already have one, but it is well worth it. This way, you have the opportunity to share your experiences with one another, but also potentially organise things together, perhaps finding people to share accommodation with etc. We will use this group to make announcements etc that we think you might find useful.

A note on money

The stipend for a two-month internship is 5000 CHF (2 x 2500 CHF). CERN will not necessarily start the payment process themselves, so soon after you arrive you should ask about this and get the ball moving. Payment into a foreign account takes some time to go through (around 2 weeks from the point the forms are signed by all the people at CERN), but you can also ask to be paid in cash.

Arriving at CERN

To get into CERN you need an access card or somebody with an access card to vouch for you. Close to entrance A you find the reception also known as building 33, ask the friendly ladies there to call your supervisor who will come pick you up.

Building 33 is very close to the penultimate bus stop on line 56, it is called "Les Pommeries" just after the stop Maisonnex it is very small so it may not be announced. If you go to the final stop simply walk back in the direction the bus came from and building 33 will appear on your right.

Maps of the area

A good map and routefinder service can be found at:
viamichelin

The canton of Geneva also has its own map service that can help you locate addresses, embassies or anything else you might be interested in: topoweb

Legend:

The blue target is CERN entrance A.
The black squares are shopping opportunities near CERN. They will be described in more detail later.

Transport

The buses in Geneva are run by the TPG at the main office in the Cornavin train station it is possible to obtain a bus pass granting a month of free travel in the Geneva area for 45CHF if you are 25 or less otherwise the double. The bus fare is 3 CHF for a ticket to the Geneva area for 1 hour.
You buy the ticket from a vending machine at the bus stop. You cannot buy a ticket on the bus. The vending machine accepts chf and euros but it does not give change.
The number 56 bus drives directly to CERN.
Line 56: runs between CERN and "Avanchet". From "Avanchet" take the tram. It takes about 30 minutes from Cornavin to CERN.
Line Y: goes by CERN into France. It stops in St. Genis and Thoirry.
Line F: leaves from Cornavin and goes through Ferney-Voltaire.

The busses run until about midnight. In the weekends there are a couple of night busses going to Meyrin from Geneva. The last one leaves around three in the morning. On these busses you buy the ticket on the bus, the ordinary tickets are not valid. Although the official endpoint of the bus is Meyrin it is often possible to coax the driver into dropping you off at CERN.

If you have the possibility, bring a car. It will allow you to consider a much wider range of accommodations and shopping. It will also make it possible for you to go on weekend trips to the mountains or some of the many beautiful cities in the area. (Paris, Milan, Lyon, Grenoble, Genova, Monaco, Marseille, and Torino are all within 5 hours of Geneva). There is not a lot of traffic, but queues tend to form at the border crossings in the morning and evening. The same goes for the downtown Geneva because there are only a few bridges connecting the two sides of the lake. The traffic can also seem a bit erratic because people from so many different cultures are practicing their own version of "safe" driving on the same roads. (40 % of the residents of Geneva are foreigners).

A bike is also very useful. Some airlines will allow you to bring a bike on the plane. (From experience we know that at least SAS offers this service).
It is also possible to borrow a bike at CERN, but as the summer is the busiest season there is only a small chance of getting one:
Bike service

There are some bike paths in Geneva but they are not always located along the roads. If you are planning to bike in Geneva, you have to be certain that you are a competent biker. Some of the drivers in Geneva think that hitting bikers with their car will earn them bonus points. Biking after dark cannot be recommended, as some Geneva drivers believe that the police cannot see them at night. The average speed seems to increase to quite a bit above the speed limit. Quite a few drivers also seem to develop red/green colour blindness. In the French countryside the drivers are a lot better at giving you the space you need.

Accommodation

The first thing you need to know, is that CERN will not organize your accommodation for you. This means that you should START PLANNING YOUR ACCOMMODATION AS SOON AS YOU ARE ACCEPTED.

Geneva is not the easiest place to find somewhere to stay, and in the summer there are people arriving to work at all sorts of organisations, making places to stay scarce. A brief note, CERN is some distance outside of Geneva straddling the swiss-french border, though it is a relatively quick
(25 minute) bus journey. It is not in an urban area, though is close to the small towns of Meyrin on the Swiss side and St Genis on the French side.

Briefly, your options are:

- CERN hostel (on site or nearby in St Genis) Other hostel/cheap hotel Rented accommodation (let or sub-let)
The CERN hostel has advantages and disadvantages. It is on-site and reasonably affordable, but is also very busy and it is not possible to book rooms for extended periods. This normally means you have to book at most 2 weeks then hope that there is another room available for you to have on a week-to-week basis. This does leave the possibility of finding yourself without a place to stay, but this seems to happen quite rarely. Once you are inside, you at least seem to have priority for rooms that come up, but it means getting up early once a week to queue at the desk for another room.

The hostel is convenient for using the CERN restaurant facilities (which serve till midnight), but going shopping for food needs at least a bicycle (though these are available in limited number for free from CERN), and the nightlife is limited. The hostel is in two buildings at CERN (38 & 39), with another hostel in St Genis, though this is generally held to be much less pleasant

Prices for the hostel are:
Building 38: CHF14 for a shared doubled room with washbasin [shared bathroom/toilet]~CHF420/month
Building 38: CHF27 for a single room with washbasin [shared bathroom/toilet] ~800CHF/month
St Genis: €19.05 for a single room with washbasin ~€440/month (tapering charges)
St Genis: €27.55 for a single room with bathroom/toilet ~€700/month (tapering charges)
(for comparison, you'll probably receive around 2500CHF/month subsistence from CERN/your home institute.)

Full prices at
http://housing-service.web.cern.ch/housing-service/hotelrates.html

- Other Hostels/Hotels
There is a hostel in central Geneva, about 6 minutes walk from the train station (from where you catch the bus up to CERN), just of the Rue de Lausanne. Its website is at http://www.cityhostel.ch/English/ with prices here. The costs are a little more than the CERN hostel for single rooms, but only slightly, and you do have the option of having a TV with cable for a little more. Stays here are, I believe, limited to 3 weeks (21 nights), but it is an option as temporary accommodation while looking for somewhere else etc. It is clean and fairly well organized, with a TV room showing English language films in the evenings, access to clothes washing and drying facilities for a small fee, and reasonable kitchens.

There are also numerous Hotels in Geneva that are available, although generally costly. However, discounts are available, sometimes through being at CERN (see the list at ).
Discounts on some hotels are also available through http://www.hotelsrus.com , though to get these you have to pay for your stay in advance, and are limited to 14 nights.

- Letting /sub-letting an apartment.
This is perhaps the cheapest option, and gives you more space and privacy, but can also be complicated. The first decision is where to look, broadly in Geneva itself, or in France close to CERN. Geneva is perhaps a little more expensive, but has a lot more shopping opportunities and things going on. It is also easy to get to CERN on public transport. Staying ion France, or Switzerland but close to CERN, is quieter

Officially renting a place is very difficult in Switzerland, as the estate agents (known as the regies) are very strict and generally require a lot of documentation and dislike short lets. You have a much better chance with a private let or sub-let if you can find one. One useful resource for sub-lets is the World Radio Geneva website , which has a classified section with accommodation and a number of sublets. Note, you have to register to get access to the classified but it is definitely worth doing so.

Another resource, though with only a few places generally, is expatriates.com, see http://www.expatriates.com/classifieds/gen/ .

CERN also maintains a list of available apartments, though mostly in France. This is available at
http://housing-service.web.cern.ch/housing-service/openmarket/index.html .
 

The students at the university of Geneva also have a notice board for accommodations on the web:
http://www.unige.ch/dase/bulog/

If you are still looking for a place once you have arrived here, there is also the CERN market, a newsgroup where CERN staff and users advertise all manner of things from cars to apartments. This newsgroup can be found on many news servers, so check your own ISP, it is called cern.market. You will need to create an external CERN account if you want to access it before your arrival at CERN.

Language

Work at CERN is generally conducted in English, with French also used in some places (mostly in groups that are mainly made up of French speakers). I assume you will all speak English, and this is fine on its own. If you can speak a bit of French, you¹ll find spending time in Geneva a little easier (and more fun), and you¹ll get a slightly better response from the locals.

For a crash course in French look at the BBC¹s website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/index.shtml

Weather

The average temperature for Geneva in summer is about 24 C. Heavy showers and thunderstorms are frequent, but day long rain is very infrequent.
http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/en/weather.html

Fun

Hiking:
Remember plenty of water and good footwear.
You are not covered for mountain rescue on your ordinary health insurance.
 

• Saleve:
  Take the bus/tram to Collonges-sous-saleve. Walk towards the mountain, you will come across a path on your left hand side. The path from there is signed. It takes about 3 ­31Ž2 hours at a moderate pace to reach the top. On the way you get awesome views of Geneva and the Gex valley. On the top you have a beautiful view of the alps. A bit of climbing might be necessary depending on the route you take, but nothing too strenuous.

• Jura:
  Take the Y bus from CERN or Geneva to Thoiry, walk up the mountain. The walk is not as steep as Saleve but it is longer. Alternatively you can drive to Crozet and walk from there.

Swimming:
There is a swimming pool just opposite entrance B. It is open from 8:00 ­ 20:00 entrance is about 4 CHF. They also have a range of discounts.
It is also possible to swim in the lake in Geneva. Go to the end of rue de Lausanne and you can swim from the pier. Be careful of the current in the lake. Also, be sure to shower afterwards, the ducks have a parasite that can also live on the human skin.

Bars:
Charlie¹s in St. Genis is the meeting place of summer students every Tuesday evening. You go out of entrance be turn towards the mountain walk along the road it will appear on the left hand side.

Geneva:
Microbreweries:
Places that brew their own beer and serve flammenkuche, which is like a thin pizza without the tomato sauce.
Les Brasseurs: opposite main entrance of Cornavin. Always popular.
Brasseur les grottes: The bottom end of Servette.(on 9 bus route) Brasseur Molard (lord nelsons pub): on Place du Molard. On the old town side of the lake. Very nice square to sit in with plenty of cafes.

Other:
Saveurs et Couleurs: Rue des Grottes. Nice relaxed restaurant where you can also just grab a beer.
Mulligans: across from Manor. (southeast side) Irish pub, English speaking serves Guinness.
Place de Bourg de Four: A square in old town with a couple of bars/cafes/restaurant It is the meeting place for Geneva students on their way to a night out.
Terasse du Paradis: A hut with lots of tables, edge of Rhone/lake. Three bridges in from the lake this side of town. Nice for weekend coffee.
Top floor of Manor: Balcony with view, nice sandwiches.

Restaurants:
Geneva:
La Meyrinoise: close to CERN in Meyrin on route de Meyrin close to the church.
Italian food. Stone oven pizzas, and nice pastas.

La Trattoria: Servette. Italian food.

Chez ma Cousine: Serves only chicken. Nice and pretty cheap.
One can be found close to Place de Bourd du Four, and another just off the place de nations.

Satigny:
Auberge de Satigny: Not that cheap, but really good food. Trad. French.
France:
Coq rouge: On the square in St. Genis close to Charlies. Good traditional French food. Reasonable prices. (Frog legs, snails and other fun stuff)

La Truite: In Ferney Voltaire just of the square. Really good food.
Reputedly the best béarnaise in the world.

The Rajastaan: Around the corner from La Truite. Nice Indian food.

Cinemas:
Make sure to get the VO (Version originale) unless you speak French.

Pathe Balexert: Huge shopping center on 9 bus route. Just outside Geneva.

Rialto: Servette on 9 bus route very close to Cornavin. Another one on the same road as the main entrance of Cornavin train station.

Summer open air theatre. Other side of lake. Nice view of the lake if the movie is boring.
program will be available here.

Extreme sports:
Ask the CERN summer students, as one of the physicists at CERN normally arranges a full day of rafting and paragliding.

Shopping

France:
Customs:
You are not allowed to bring more than 500 gr of meat or 1 kg of processed meat. (sausages etc.) 1 litre of milk 1 litre of wine/beer 1 pack of butter per person.
But check these limits as they are doing a customs reform at the moment.
Bring a passport.

Champion in St Genis just on same road as CERN leave by entrance B turn left, will appear on right hand side. Smallish for French standards open late by Swiss standards.
Le Clerc: At the north end of Meyrin continue north and cross the border, the shop will appear on the right hand side. Much bigger than champion and open even later.
Ferney-Voltaire also has a couple of super markets, not too far from LeClerc. Doable by bike or car. Hyper champion, very big and open very late.

Switzerland:
Everything shuts by 7 o¹ clock, except Thursdays open later and Saturday earlier.

CERN area:
Forumeyrin on bus route 9. A shopping centre with a COOP and a Migros.
Blandonnet: a Carrefour. On the route 9 bus. Very big.
Balexert: A big Migros.

Geneva:
Plenty. Interesting ones:
In Cornavin and in Airport train station. Food shops open until 22 everyday.
Pricey and small.

Manor: a big department store, with very nice but pricey (by Geneva standards). Close to Cornavin South east towards lake.

Migros: place des Cygnes big shopping centre in rue de Lausanne.
Coop: on rue de Lausanne. Open until 19:30.
Globus department store near old town. Very Nice. Very expensive. (a bit of pillaging may be required)

Assorted tips and tricks

Buy food on Saturdays or Thursday nights. You will work so late that it will be hard to manage to get to the shops.

There is also a much larger program for summer students. Their websites from the last years:
CERN summer students

Information for the CERN summer students, take a look at the FAQ for example:
HR summer student pages

Don¹t drink and drive and do not drive with people who are drunk driving.
Huge fines, also for the passengers for letting the drunk person drive.

Bring a towel. :)

CERN building numbers were assigned based on a random number generator.

There is a cheap sports shop in Val-Thoiry.

The Swiss sockets are a bit different and are generally not compatible with earthed European plugs. You need to get hold of an adaptor.

Medical aid:
There is a first aid place at CERN close to the fire station. They can direct you to a doctor that can speak a language you understand.

To get evening access to the computer centre (working after 19 and weekends) you have to do a safety course at the fire station.

To get network access at CERN fill in the form here .

Long term access possible once you have signed up for a full CERN computing account. Almost the whole of CERN has wireless access.

Bring cookies and Salmiak lakrids (if you know what that is) for your supervisor, and your stay will be much more pleasant :)