The European Organization for Nuclear Research, commonly known as CERN, is a major scientific research facility located near Geneva, Switzerland. Established in 1954, it focuses on understanding the fundamental particles that make up the universe. Scientists at CERN use powerful particle accelerators, like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), to collide particles at high speeds, allowing them to study the resulting interactions and discover new particles. CERN is home to many groundbreaking discoveries, including the Higgs boson, a particle that helps explain why other particles have mass. The organization collaborates with thousands of researchers from around the world, fostering international cooperation in the field of particle physics and advancing our knowledge of the universe.