Roberto Salome
Recently it has been hard to get students interested in science, but then again, an observation as large as the one conducted at the Large Hadron Collider has not occurred as of late.
Traces of a new particle with a mass of about 126 gigaelectron volts appeared in data analysis July 4. This is the particle that is said to give mass to other elementary particles.
Following its origin back far enough can give scientists more information about the initiation of the Big Bang Theory. Researchers would then be able to take the data and understand what occurred before the start of the universe. These conditions could then be studied to look for other instances in the universe preparing for their own “bang.” Others say that with the findings of the particle, similar particles in other dimensions could be identified as well, giving credibility to the theory of supersymmetry.
The list of scientific implications is astronomic, but most people only seem to be interested in the fact that Mark Sanchez and Eva Longoria may have started dating.
President Obama has stated that increasing science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in America is one of his goals. The administration believes that STEM jobs are essential for America’s continued growth. If there has ever been a time when young children could get interested in science and monumental discoveries, the time is now.
While the particle found does coincide with the leading theory, nothing is definite yet. Tests are still needed to verify the results.
This finding is similar to the Space Race of the 20th century. Liftoff has been achieved, but how far will we be able to go?
The recent findings of the Higgs boson cannot only help explain mass in the universe; they can also help usher a new era of scientists and researchers into the world.
This discovery also shows the importance of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the international organization that oversees the operation of the Large Hadron Collider. It is essential for others to see that the future of science will involve collaboration, not competition, with each other.
Whether you are directly involved in it or just an observer, the next few years will be an exciting time for particle physics. I encourage everyone to follow along for the sake of science in America.
Roberto Salome is an alumnus with a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering and can be reached at [email protected].