Cern Bootcamp is an innovative study concept, which is co-created together with Cern, companies and European universities. Social challenges are solved at the Bootcamp and it culminates in an intensive week organized in Switzerland in June. Cern is a particle physics research center operating in Switzerland, where approximately 2 500 researchers work. Cern researchers study, among other things, the fundamental nature of the universe and matter, and for example the World Wide Web started there. Cern also promotes knowledge transfer and offers various training programs. Cern’s Ideasquare concept brings people together to create new ideas and work on prototypes in an open environment.
The obvious need of organizations for service design knowledge and skills and combining its teaching with pedagogical methods has been seen as a challenge, both because master’s degree students often don’t have the opportunity to commit to long-term international exchanges in a rapidly globalizing world, where there is a need for internationalization. Cern’s Bootcamp was developed to meet these challenges.
The first Cern Bootcamp was organized in 2018. Due to corona, the Bootcamp was last organized in 2019 and it’ll be organized in the three years. The Cern Bootcamp is part of ATTRACT that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.
Learning objectives
During the 10 ECTS-wide implementation, students learn to apply service design approaches and basic tools to develop sustainable solutions; to identify opportunities for solving social problems with the help of social innovations and to understand their impact. The goal is also to learn how to work as a developer in open innovation networks and environments.
The focus of the studies is solving social challenges as a group, by applying service design methods and innovative new technologies. In 2022, Cern’s challenges include the UN themes of good health and well-being, sustainable cities and communities, and sustainable consumption and manufacturing. Based on the solutions to the challenges, the students create a prototype, which ATTRACT EU technology can be used to create.
The challenges addressed in the Bootcamp belong to wicked problems, i.e. problems for which there are no precedents and for which previous experience cannot be applied to solve. There isn’t one correct solution for wicked problems.
Preparation for Cern
The Bootcamp started with the kick-off days organized in March, where the students formed teams and considered a challenge based on social themes, for which they developed solutions during the spring. In the summer, I visited a group work meeting of master’s students, where they talked about preparing for Cern.
The group chose the topic of happiness in different age groups from the UN’s challenges. After the kick-off days, the group focused on conducting research and interviews. Before the Bootcamp, the group got to know Attract’s technologies, which they have the opportunity to use during the intensive week, as well as interesting topics from which they chose perspectives to examine the challenge.
The group members had positive feelings about the implementation and that they have learned a lot. The team members were excited about working with great people, immersing themselves in their challenge and its solution, and Swiss wine.
Read more about Cern: Heading to CERN – Welcome on board to follow up our journey to CERN BootCamp all the way from student selection to final presentations (wordpress.com) and CERN Bootcamp – Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu.
The enrollment period for Cern Bootcamp is again in the winter @ master’s students. You can also study service design and wicked problems in November during intensive week @ bachelor and master’s students and the staff of 3AMK.