Welcome and introduction to CERN

Tuesday 1 Jul 2025, 13:30 → 15:30 Europe/Zurich

503/1-001 - Council Chamber (CERN)

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1 Welcome address

Dr. Maria Girone is the Head of CERN openlab and a Principal Applied Scientist in CERN’s IT department. She holds a PhD in particle physics and has extensive expertise in computing for high-energy physics, having worked in scientific computing since 2002. Maria is widely recognized as a leader in driving the adoption of High-Performance Computing (HPC) within the high-energy physics community, bridging cutting-edge technology solutions with the needs of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments.

Speaker: Dr Maria Girone (CERN)

2 Introduction to CERN openlab

Speaker: Dr Maria Girone (CERN)

3 CERN Health and Safety

Speaker: Rob Fowler

Openlab_Students_SafetyInfoFAQ.pdf

Openlab_Students_SafetyInfoFAQ.pptx

4 Introduction to CERN openlab summer lectures programme

Speaker: Killian Verder

5 Tackling computing challenges at CERN

Abstract:

The future of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) and CERN presents exciting computing challenges. With the continuous growth in data volume from Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments handling and processing massive datasets become paramount. Efficient data access and transfer across multiple computing centers and institutions are crucial for collaboration. The scalability of computational infrastructure including cores and storage is essential to meet the increasing demands. Addressing these challenges will ensure timely analysis enable global collaboration and unlock the mysteries of the universe at an unprecedented scale.

Bio:

Alessandro Di Girolamo is a CERN staff member in the Information Technology department. He obtained his PhD in experimental physics in 2004 and has been supporting the computing activities of CERN experiments since 2007. From 2019 to 2023, Ale served as the ATLAS Software and Computing Coordinator, overseeing a network of over 100 computing centers with 400+ PB of disk storage, 500+ PB of tape storage, and 500k+ cores, and coordinating the activities of 150+ experts. He also co-led the effort to set the strategic direction for ATLAS Software and Computing, documented in the ATLAS S&C Roadmap toward HL-LHC.
Currently, he is part of the CERN IT Strategic & Governance group, supporting the technical evolution of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) and participating in the IT Technical Delivery coordination team to ensure reliable service delivery and appropriate planning to tackle CERN's challenges.
Ale places great importance on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. As a husband and father of three, he cherishes his personal life and enjoys sports, particularly team sports, where he actively engages as a coach and player.

Speaker: Alessandro Di Girolamo (CERN)