On 23 May, Minister Dijkgraaf of Education, Culture and Science visited Maastricht. He also visited the gravitational wave laboratory ETpathfinder. In addition to the official part of the programme, he paid a spontaneous visit to the clean room to take a closer look at the metres-high installation.
In the visitors’ gallery of ETpathfinder, Dijkgraaf talked to project leader Stefan Hild, dean Thomas Cleij, associate professor Gideon Koekoek and student Sophia Widmer. They talked about several subjects. Including the national and international importance of the Einstein Telescope and the importance of the Maastricht Faculty of Science and Engineering for Limburg. They also discussed the ET2SMEs project, which stimulates cooperation with companies around the Einstein Telescope. And they talked about Nikhef and the importance of cooperation between universities in general.
The Minister reacted enthusiastically to the visit: “The ETpathfinder is a groundbreaking facility with lasting value for science worldwide. I sincerely hope that we can continue this with the construction of the Einstein Telescope in this region.”
About ETpathfinder and the Einstein Telescope
ETpathfinder is an international lab in Maastricht, where technology for future gravitational wave detectors is being developed and tested. This technology is also needed for the future Einstein Telescope. The border region of South Limburg is a possible location for this innovative underground gravitational wave detector.
Visit www.einsteintelescope.nl for more information about the Einstein Telescope.
And www.etpathfinder.eu for more information about ETpathfinder.
Photos: Philip Driessen