Acta Geoturistica volume 2 (2011), number 1, 41-45

Scientific – Tourism in Science or Science in Tourism?

LUCIA MOLOKÁ ČOVÁ and ŠTEFAN MOLOKÁ Č Institute of , Technical University in Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia (E-mail: [email protected], [email protected])

ABSTRACT This article is focused on a relatively new phenomenon called Scientific Tourism. What is meant by this term? What can we expect? The answers of this question are discussed in the following article. Paper offers a variety of perspectives and definitions, as well as its possible use in practice.

Key words : Scientific tourism, CERN

INTRODUCTION magazines. A lot of definitions of the scientific tourism can be found in J. H. The name Scientific Tourism means Laing’s work “Science tourism: exploring something for a person who works in the the potencial for astrobiology funding and area of tourism and something else for an outreach.” Her opinion is that successful amateur. Our research in the amateur area scientific tourism contains all of the showed us the wide opinion field. People attributes of the tourism and moreover it said scientific tourism was: a hiking group requires a human factor and technical of scientists, exploring scientists, equipment of the high level [2]. professionals working in the other subject In the article Developing scientific fields and laboratories, a self – paid tourism in Russia [3] this name is related to astronaut on the orbit of the Earth, tourists the knowledge tourism of young people in general. Even if some of the answers mostly who get knowledge and skills were meant ironically, it can’t be said we without any big financial expenses. The disagree with some of them. similar opinion is publicized by the work Vedecký turizmus ako jedna s foriem cestovného ruchu v krajine Slovenska ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEMS (Scientific tourism as a form of tourist traffic in Slovakia) written by M. There are a lot of different opinions about Pichlerová [4]. She is a representative of the definition of “scientific tourism” in the The centre of the Scientific Tourism, ÚEL professional sphere. The name Scientific SAV Zvolen. She thinks the basis of Tourism was seen in literature for the first scientific tourism is satisfying educational, time in 1980. It was in the work Tropical cultural and relaxing needs of the group of Science and Tourism. Scientific tourism people who are interested in the same thing. was described here as a work of the The main parts of scientific tourism are explorers in the country without proper led by the expert in the specific technical equipment [1]. field. Some seminars together with various West says Scientific Tourism is a specific audio – visual media can be included as form of tourism related to scientific well. It is seen that a lot of professional practice. The results of that are the benefits scientists who are well-known all over the also for tourism. These benefits are the world are interested in scientific tourism. articles in various popular scientific Their targets are modern scientific centres

41 Acta Geoturistica volume 2 (2011), number 1, 41-45 but not in the professional fields where they 2,600 full-time employees, as well as some work. They want to know the methods and 7,931 scientists and engineers. technical equipment to enrich their The establishing CERN was educational potention in case to use it for ratified on 29 September 1954 by 11 their primary scientific discipline. So countries in Western Europe. There are sometimes physicists become biologists for currently twenty member countries, 18 of a short time, doctors become astrologists or which are also EU. paleontologists and technicians change to CERN operates a network of six physicists. It is obvious that in this group of accelerators and a decelerator. Each people we can meet some students and laics machine in the chain increases the energy who come because they are curious and of particle beams before delivering them to they leave with a lot of obtained experiments or to the next more powerful information that is used later in their accelerator. Most of the activities at CERN practice. are currently directed towards building a Scientific tourists use common tourist new collider, the Large Hadron Collider infrastructure (, catering (LHC) and the experiments for it. The LHC establishment, , cultural represents a large-scale, worldwide performances, relaxation centres) plus they scientific cooperation project. use the most modern audio-visual technique The LHC tunnel is located 100 metres for seminars and experiment as much as underground, in the region between the they can. Geneva airport and the nearby Jura mountains. It uses the 27 km circumference circular tunnel previously occupied by LEP RESULTS which was closed down in November 2000. CERN's existing PS/SPS accelerator Scientific tourism is very attractive part of complexes will be used to pre-accelerate tourism and it is considered to be the most protons which will then be injected into the developing area together with . LHC. To be successful in this business it is This accelerator will generate vast important to choose and to offer attractive quantities of computer data, which CERN destinations. It is generally true that the will stream to laboratories around the world most attractive are “superlatives”: the for distributed processing (making use of a lowest temperature, the highest energy, the specialised grid infrastructure, the LHC oldest tree… The following destinations Computing Grid) were chosen: CERN's main function is to provide the particle accelerators and other infrastructure First example needed for high-energy physics research. • The highest energy in the world (7 Numerous experiments have been GeV) is in the largest laboratory constructed at CERN by international worldwide CERN in Geneva - European collaborations to make use of them. It is Organization for Nuclear Research also noted for being the birthplace of the World Wide Web. The main site at Meyrin also has a large computer centre containing The European Organization for Nuclear very powerful data processing facilities Research known as CERN, is the world's primarily for experimental data analysis, largest particle physics laboratory, situated and because of the need to make them in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the available to researchers elsewhere, has Franco–Swiss borde. The organization has historically been (and continues to be) a twenty European member states, and is major wide area networking hub. currently the workplace of approximately Facilities at CERN open to the public and

42 Acta Geoturistica volume 2 (2011), number 1, 41-45

Fig. 1. Map of the Large Hadron Collider together with the Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN, Source: [5].

Fig. 2 CERN - LHC tunnel, Source: [5]

scientists. History, present and future shows The Institute of Experimental Physics Microcosm - of particle physics, SAS in Košice was established on January located at CERN. 1, 1969. Its research activities are devoted to condensed-matter physics, nuclear and Second example subnuclear physics, space physics and • One of the lowest temperature was biophysics. Department of Low measured in The Centre of Excellence Temperature Physics is in P. J. Šafárik in Kosice that The Institute of University area with component part The Experimental Physics SAS and Faculty Centre of Excellence of Science UPJŠ established. The characteristics of space may also be

43 Acta Geoturistica volume 2 (2011), number 1, 41-45

Fig. 3 Interactive exhibit in Microcosm CERN, Photo by : Moloká č [6]

Fig. 4 Scientific tourists in CERN, Photo by : Moloká č [6]

explored indirectly in the laboratory at observe for instance turbulences and ultra-low temperatures (below 1 mK), for fluctuations of the physical vacuum , example when the rare isotope 3He turns phenomena associated with the black-hole superliquid. In such a macroscopic quantum event horizon, symmetry breaking after the system, we can realistically simulate and Big Bang, or the phenomena inside neutron

44 Acta Geoturistica volume 2 (2011), number 1, 41-45

Fig. 5 The Coldest place in Central Europe, Source : [7].

stars. Ultra-low temperatures also provide – Tourism in Science or Science in suitable conditions for the experimental Tourism?” doesn’t have the clear answer study of quantum bits – qubits produced but the authors incline to the statement either directly in superliquid 3He or based “Tourism in Science”. on nano-SQUIDs. Besides extremely low temperatures and high magnetic fields the Department concentrates on research into REFERENCES strongly correlated systems at extremely high pressures (up to about 10 GPa) when [1] Laarman, J. G. and Perdue, R. R., 1989: unexpected properties are observed. Most Tropical science and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 16, 2, 1989, p.205 cited recently the Department has concentrated P.West ., Tourism as Science and Science as its research on the study of reduced- Tourism., Current Anthropology 49 , 4, 2008, dimension materials . p.597. [2] www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2010/pdf/ Third example 5047.pdf/ Astrobiology Science Conference • 2010 Mr. Daubner introduces some examples [3] Ilyina, L. and Mieczkowski, Z ., 1992: , in the area of nature – “Svetove Tourism Management , 12 ,1992, p. 327 zemepisne rekordy” (The Geographical [4] www.tuzvo.sk/files/FEE/katedry_fee/kptk/pic records in the world) [8]. hlerova_.pdf [5] CERN Booklet , CERN CH-1211, Geneve 23, Switzerland [6] http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?q=cern CONCLUSION &psc=G&filter=1 [7] IEP SAS Booklet , Watson Str. 47, SK 04001 It is just a beginning of exploring the area Košice. Slovakia of nature. The question “Scientific tourism [8] www.kompas.estranky.cz

45