Discovery of the Higgs Particle

By Lawrence Krauss (ASU)

March 2013

On 15 March 2013 internationally renowned theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss returned to lecture on the discovery of the Higgs particle by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, explaining the significance of this remarkable discovery -- which is the hottest thing in science these days. This was Lawrence's third lecture at YBC.

Both the students and teachers were thrilled with the lecture and afterwards they also enjoyed a 90 minute interactive session Lawrence held with the physics class on topics chosen by the students, including the age of the universe and how it was determined.

The students were extraordinarily fortunate to have Lawrence lecture them on the Higgs discovery. He is the only physicist that has been honored by the three major American physics associations for his efforts in science education and last year he was awarded the National Science Board's Public Service Medal for his contributions to public education in science and education. As you can imagine, a scientist of his caliber has a hectic schedule, yet he found the time to lecture high school students and, in fact, this was the third time he lectured at YBC, the first being in 2009.

Also, American Ambassador Mark Brzezinski took time from his schedule to open the event by thanking the financial sponsors, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and AkzoNobel, and giving Lawrence a glowing introduction.

In his remarks, the Ambassador highlighted that the future economies of the world will be dependent on advances in science and technology, which is certainly a statement that both business leaders and academics can endorse, especially here in Sweden. It was a great day for science education and U.S. - Sweden relations.