SLAS Regular Meeting
Friday, December 21, 2012, 7:30pm
McDonnell Hall, Washington University

The Higg's Particle: Resolving Mass Confusion
by
Professor Michael Ogilvie
Department of Physics
Washington University

It's the LAST SLAS Meeting!

(of the year...)

Join us for a nice party to end 2012 and celebrate
the Winter Solstice (and Joemaggedon)
and get a preview of things to come in 2013!
(yes, there WILL be SLAS meetings in 2013...)

On July 4th, 2012, scientists at the world's biggest subatomic particle accelerator, Europe's Large Hadron Collier (LHC), announced strong evidence for detection of the Higgs particle. Physicists have been searching for the Higgs particle for decades. If found, it will complete the "standard model of particle physics", the complex theory that explains how matter and energy interact. In particular, scientists think that the Higgs particle is responsible for giving mass to all other particles. So, without the Higgs, there would be no physical universe for material objects – including humans. Somehow, since shortly after the Big Bang, the Higgs has caused the material world to be able to exist. Dr. Ogilvie will discuss the role of the Higgs particle, its discovery at the LHC, the implications for our understanding of the universe, and what may lie beyond the standard model.

Dr. Michael Ogilvie is a Professor of Physics at Washington University. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of particle physics and quantum field theory – the study of particles much smaller than atoms, and their interactions with each other and with the fabric of space.

Meeting Agenda

Welcome

Introduction of Officers

Speaker -Michael Ogilvie

Astro 101 - The Maya Calendar

Announcements and Upcoming Star Parties