On the 26th of July, CERN openlab students joined with other students from the IT department to make a journey to Zurich, where they were warmly received by computer security firm Open Systems and ETH Zurich.

On an earlier visit to CERN, CEO of Open Systems Martin Bosshardt and Head of CERN openlab Wolfgang von Rüden bonded over their mutual need for computer security and bright young programmers, and a visit was conceived. Although the students are kept busy for the two months of their stay at CERN, this seemed like an ideal opportunity to get them away from their computers and show them some more of Switzerland.

The Students, supervisors and hosts, after enjoying a great meal atop the OpenSystems building. (Image credit: Wolfgang Von Rüden & the Public.)

Upon arrival, a few presentations introduced the work of Open Systems, and the students were given a tour of the company's facilities, including the iconic "mission control" service desk. Similar control rooms in New York and Sydney allow the company to offer around-the-clock support to their customers worldwide. The visit was capped off with a sunny open-air barbeque on the building's roof, with a great view of the city.

After the meal, the students were dropped off in picturesque downtown Zurich for guided tours of a few of the city's historic landmarks.

The party reconvened at ETH for a presentation on the range of Masters and PhD topics available, and life at ETH.

Student Grace Young said "Open Systems were great hosts. They welcomed us to Zurich in style; I really appreciated their hospitality and enjoyed learning about their work in IT."