CERN Publishing
Not a member yet
1219 research outputs found
Sort by
From Abstract to Applied: How Language Sophistication Shapes Creative Ideation for Novel Technologies
Full text linkUnderstanding and creativity are intertwined cognitive processes that shape ideation and innovation potential in interdisciplinary teams. This article investigates how varying levels of language sophistication shape students’ conceptualizations of technology, guiding them toward either high-level abstract reasoning or concrete, domain-specific thinking. Through an experimental design involving 63 participants from diverse academic backgrounds, we examined how simplified, intermediate, and technical explanations of terahertz sensing technology affected participants' cognitive focus and creative application generation. Our findings demonstrate that language sophistication manipulates psychological distance and construal level: simplified explanations induce high-level construal leading to benefit-focused understanding and abstract applications, while technical explanations induce low-level construal resulting in mechanism-focused thinking and domain-specific ideas. Technical language also creates cognitive fixation effects that constrain cross-domain creativity, while abstract language serves as an effective de-fixation strategy. Intermediate complexity explanations yielded optimal ratings for perceived technological potential, suggesting a balance between accessibility and depth. Based on these findings, we propose a staged ideation model that strategically sequences language complexity to harness both divergent and convergent thinking processes. This research extends Construal Level Theory into innovation management contexts and provides practical tools for optimizing creative processes in interdisciplinary environments
Living on the edge: limits and frontiers as the engine of innovation
Full text linkThe papers collected in this issue of the CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation do not merely describe innovation; they map its geography. They do not describe a safe, linear process; they describe a tension between opposing forces. Collectively, they suggest that innovation is an act of "boundary spanning"—a persistent effort to navigate the cognitive, structural, and institutional frontiers that separate scientific inquiry from societal impact
Collider experiments: the LHC and beyond
Full text linkThe basic concepts of experimental particle physics at colliders are presented, over four introductory lectures, using examples taken from the highest energy collider in the world: the LHC at CERN. The physics motivation for collider experiments is discussed, followed by an introduction of the accelerators and experiments at CERN and elsewhere. An overview of the principles of particle detection and of the different types of detectors is given. The physics highlights at the LHC are discussed and an outlook beyond the Standard Model and the LHC is given
Back matter
No full textThe back matter contains the scientific programme, names in the organizing committees, list of lecturers, list of discussion leaders, outreach training, list of students, list of listeners, and list of posters
Architecting the Hybrid Mind: The Dual Mandate of Experimental Innovation
Full text linkThe articles in this issue suggest that the future of effective innovation does not lie in the dominance of algorithmic efficiency over human cognition, nor in rejecting automation. Instead, success depends on a "Hybrid Intelligence" model where formal innovation processes are rigorously applied to speed up execution and reduce risk, while simultaneously leveraging linguistic and contextual diversity to create the "cognitive friction" necessary for high-quality decision-making. Consequently, the challenge for leadership is to design organizations that are "ambidextrous"—capable of balancing the "closing behaviors" required for efficiency and execution with the "opening behaviors" needed for exploration and creativity. Together, these aspects provide a comprehensive perspective on the journey of an idea, from a simple spark of cognitive potential to a transformative force that reshapes our world, starting with the most fundamental element: the innovator's mind
Data from Students’ Use of Generative AI in Innovation Education Programs at CERN IdeaSquare
Full text linkThis article presents a dataset comprising Master-level students’ prompts and discussions with generative AI as part of a challenge-based innovation problem-solving process. Openly accessible through Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17857679), the data consists of 466 pages of students’ conversations with generative AI tools and a 28-page extract comprising only the prompts. The data was collected through a survey for students participating in week-long intense innovation education programs at CERN IdeaSquare throughout 2024. The data can be used to advance practice and theory regarding the use of generative AI in problem solving and innovation education. Scholars are encouraged to use the data in various forms of analysis, including thematic, content, and narrative analysis. The data can also complement other similar datasets in larger studies examining the effects of different pedagogical approaches, student profiles, problem-solving situations, or other factors on the use of generative AI
The Star that ate Itself
Full text linkIt is very difficult to overestimate the role that metaphor plays in making sense of organizations, particularly when the metaphors are cosmic and dramatic. Stars, galaxies, black holes. These concepts have been borrowed by so-called strategic experts with such enthusiasm that physicists now flinch when they hear the word “vision”. But never afraid to gently reinvent the cosmic wheel, the IdeaSquare self-appointed innovation team set itself the challenge of understanding organizational implosion through the historical journey of black hole research. In other words: “black-holifying” the study of organizational collapse, a word that, much like many others, exists only because someone insisted on using it.Armed with this galactic ambition, the team decided not to follow any strict methodological roadmap (as it is already traditional) but instead float freely through the universe of ideas, allowing gravity, coffee, and meeting fatigue to guide its inquiry
Introduction to perturbative QCD
Full text linkThe aim of these lectures is to give a brief introduction to perturbative QCD; focusing on basic concepts, fixed-order calculations, and phenomenological aspects