Science & Technology

Disneyland for physicists: Breakthrough Prize honors scientists at world’s largest particle collider

Daniel William Strain — Thu, 15 May 2025 15:52:13 +0000

Disneyland for physicists: Breakthrough Prize honors scientists at world’s largest particle collider Daniel William… Thu, 05/15/2025 - 09:52

Daniel Strain

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerates particles through tunnels stretching roughly 17 miles underground. (Credit: CERN)

For these physicists at the bet365 malaysia, searching for the unknown is a matter of speed.

Over the last decade, researchers on campus, including dozens of graduate and undergraduate students, have taken part in the hunt for never-before-seen physics at the Large Hadron Collider. The facility sits at the base of the mountains of Switzerland not far from Geneva. There, scientists accelerate tiny bits of matter to just below the speed of light, slamming these particles together to create spectacular bursts of energy.

To analyze collisions between particles, the CMS detector generates a magnetic field nearly 100,000 times more powerful than the magnetic field surrounding Earth. (Credit: CERN)

The ATLAS detector sits more than 300 feet underground and weighs more than 7,000 tons. (Credit: CERN)

Recently, their efforts received international recognition. In April, the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics went to four international collaborations working at the LHC, which is operated by an organization called CERN. These collaborations encompass thousands of scientists from around the globe, including 32 current and former physicists at CU Boulder. The Breakthrough Prize is an annual award celebrating “individuals who have made profound contributions to human knowledge.”

Researchers at CU Boulder have participated in two LHC collaborations, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) and A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS (ATLAS) experiments. They rely on detectors on site. These massive machines weigh thousands of tons each and analyze what happens when particles collide.

“The magnitude of what’s been accomplished by these teams is staggering,” said John Cumalat, a professor of physics at CU Boulder who was named in the prize through his work in the CMS Experiment.

In 2012 scientists at the LHC discovered a particle known as the Higgs boson, a finding recognized in the recent Breakthrough Prize. The Higgs boson is responsible for giving all matter in the universe its mass. Without it, the cosmos would look very different today. Other researchers at the LHC have used collisions to recreate the incredibly hot conditions that existed in the universe a fraction of a second after the Big Bang.

This year’s prize shows that science is fundamentally a team pursuit, noted Dennis Perepelitsa, associate professor of physics.

“Usually, these kinds of awards go to just a few people working in a lab to make a big breakthrough,” said Perepelitsa, who started the ATLAS group at CU in 2016 and was recognized for his work on the experiment. “But breakthroughs also happen in big teams.”

Like nowhere else

A team on campus called the High Energy Physics Group, for example, monitors crashes between protons, a basic building block of atoms, using the CMS detector.

Team member Kevin Stenson, professor of physics, explained that when protons moving at blistering speeds smack into each other, they generate so much energy that new particles spring into being—literally popping up in space that was empty a moment before. He and his colleagues sift through that wreckage looking for anything that doesn’t seem to belong.

“In physics, we have a basic theory known as the standard model, which has, for decades, explained the universe extraordinarily well,” said Stenson, who was also named in this year’s Breakthrough Prize. “But we know it’s incomplete. It’s missing pieces. So we’re looking for physics beyond the standard model—anything that looks odd or anomalous.”

CU Boulder at the LHC

Thirty-two current and former physicists at CU Boulder were named as part of the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, which recognized four international collaborations.

CMS Experiment

Faculty: John Cumalat, Kevin Stenson, Keith Ulmer, Steve Wagner, Bill Ford (emeritus)
Postdoctoral researchers: Andrew Hart, George Karathanasis, Stephanie Kwan, Nick Manganelli, Filippo Marini, JaeBeom Park, Rishi Patel, Jannicke Pearkes, Alexx Perloff, Claire Savard, Davide Zuolo
Graduate students: Abbas Hassani, Emily MacDonald, Nicolas Schonbeck, Noah Zipper

ATLAS Experiment

Faculty: Jamie Nagle, Dennis Perepelitsa
Postdoctoral researchers: Ran Bi, Yeonju Go, Qipeng Hu, Sanghoon Lim, Christopher McGinn
Graduate students: Sruthy Jyothi Das, Berenice Garcia, Kurt Keys Hill, Jeff Ouellette, Blair Daniel Seidlitz

Keith Ulmer, associate professor of physics who was recognized for his work on CMS, is part of efforts at the LHC to search for the origins of dark matter. This mysterious substance pervades the universe, making up roughly 84% of its mass and gluing together entire galaxies. But scientists have never directly observed it.

“You can’t do LHC physics anywhere else,” Ulmer said. “It’s the only machine on Earth that can access these kinds of particles.”

Dawn of the universe

Perepelitsa and his colleagues, including Professor Jamie Nagle, in the Experimental Nuclear Physics Group at CU Boulder use the ATLAS detector to go bigger.

Rather than examine collisions between protons, these researchers explore impacts between the much bigger cores, or nuclei, of atoms like lead.

Those collisions generate so much heat, reaching temperatures of more than 1 trillion degrees Fahrenheit, they create what physicists call a “quark gluon plasma.” This flowing soup of particles existed microseconds after the Big Bang. It can also move like a liquid but, unlike water, experiences almost no friction.

“If you could put a quark-gluon plasma in a coffee cup, and you stirred it, it would continue swirling for an extremely long time,” Perepelitsa said.

He and his colleagues are investigating the basic properties of this swirling state of matter—with the goal of understanding the conditions that gave rise to the universe as we know it today.

Perepelitsa added that a lot of the appeal of LHC research is getting to travel to Switzerland and work in large teams of scientists. For people who love physics, there’s no place like it on Earth.

“If you’re a young scientist and are willing to work hard, it’s like Disneyland,” he said. “In the hallways, the cafeteria and the lecture halls—everybody around you is a particle physicist.”

This year's award recognized the work of four international research collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider, including 32 current and former physicists at CU Boulder.

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Protecting the sound of music: Clinic helps 114 individuals and counting

Megan Maneval — Fri, 09 May 2025 15:39:43 +0000

Protecting the sound of music: Clinic helps 114 individuals and counting Megan Maneval Fri, 05/09/2025 - 09:39

The Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) Earmold Clinic, operated by dedicated audiology doctoral students in the CU Boulder Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, proudly partners with the College of Music’s Golden Buffalo Marching Band and Musicians’ Wellness Program, as well as Westone Laboratories, to promote hearing conservation. This collaboration offers student musicians access to custom hearing protection at a heavily discounted rate, safeguarding their hearing despite the high sound levels they face during rehearsals and performances.

The initiative was launched by audiology doctoral students Ana Sanchez and Graham Gansar after a pivotal conversation with Jeff Ipson, director of sales at Westone Laboratories, during the bet365 malaysia Academy of Audiology Conference in October 2023. By recognizing the elevated risk of noise-induced hearing loss among musicians, the clinic was established to deliver comprehensive services—ranging from hearing tests and ear mold impressions to earmold fittings with verification measurements and wax removal care.

Since summer 2024, the clinic has helped 114 students and faculty protect their hearing, a milestone that underscores both its success and the growing impact on the community.

This student-led program not only emphasizes hands-on learning—incorporating undergraduate participation for basic tasks and patient interactions—but also serves as a testament to the passion and commitment of its leaders. As fourth-year students Ana Sanchez, Graham Gansar, Vanessa Lucero and Victoria Rivera prepare to embark on their externships, the incoming cohort is eagerly stepping in to carry the torch, ensuring continued support for both musicians and the broader university community.

By making custom hearing protection both affordable and accessible, the Earmold Clinic is fostering a culture of proactive hearing conservation and education. The partnership with Westone Laboratories brings advanced technology and expertise, while the involvement of the CU Boulder Golden Buffalo Marching Band and Musicians’ Wellness Program highlights the real-world impact of these efforts. This initiative is a powerful example of how student-led projects can create lasting change within the university community, ensuring the sounds of music will continue to inspire for generations to come.

For more information about the SAA Earmold Clinic and its services or to schedule an appointment, please email heartest@colorado.edu.

Audiology doctoral students are transforming hearing conservation for student musicians with custom solutions—helping 114 individuals and counting.

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New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music

Megan Maneval — Thu, 08 May 2025 13:37:02 +0000

New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music Megan Maneval Thu, 05/08/2025 - 07:37

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team have developed a new technique that allows them to measure phonon interference inside of a tiny molecule. They believe, one day, this discovery can revolutionize how heat dissipation is managed in future electronics and materials.

Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team have developed a new technique that allows them to measure phonon interference inside a tiny molecule. They believe this discovery can one day revolutionize how heat dissipation is managed in future electronics and materials.

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Utility Research Lab develops award-winning sustainability tech for 3D printing

Megan Maneval — Fri, 02 May 2025 19:19:38 +0000

Utility Research Lab develops award-winning sustainability tech for 3D printing Megan Maneval Fri, 05/02/2025 - 13:19

Recycling is extremely difficult for objects built with more than one type of plastic. Michael Rivera and the Utility Research Lab team have developed a novel way to disassemble 3D-printed objects for easy recycling.

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Scholars aim to help women make a quantum leap

Elizabeth Lock — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:00:31 +0000

Scholars aim to help women make a quantum leap Elizabeth Lock Wed, 04/30/2025 - 12:00

Quantum Scholars Emily Jerris and Annalise Cabra started CU Women of Quantum to help women interested in careers in quantum to network and share experiences.

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Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots

Daniel William Strain — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:37:45 +0000

Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots Daniel William… Tue, 04/29/2025 - 14:37

Daniel Strain

Kaushik Jayaram and his colleagues debuted a small, shapeshifting robot named CLARI in 2023. The team later designed an even smaller model called mCLARI. (Credit: Casey Cass/CU Boulder)

Kaushik Jayaram envisions a day when swarms of tiny robots, some weighing no more than a paperclip, will crawl through airplanes or into buildings after an earthquake—searching for survivors or repairing components that no human could ever reach.

“Robots could be really helpful in confined spaces,” said Jayaram, assistant professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder. “If they’re small enough and adaptable enough and agile enough, they can get inside a jet engine, for example, or an underground conduit to inspect electrical pipelines.”

Kaushik Jayaram, right, in his lab with former graduate student Heiko Kabutz. (Credit: Casey Cass/CU Boulder)

Recently, the roboticist got a big leg up in pursuit of that vision: Jayaram has received a $650,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to design small, shape-shifting robots that can complete a wide range of tasks. The funding is part of the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program, its most prestigious awards for early-career scientists. In March, Jayaram and Laura Blumenschein at Purdue Universe also took home a complimentary $1.4 million grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory, the research wing of the U.S. Air Force.

The new projects will build on Jayaram’s previous designs, including mCLARI—a four-legged robot that can fit on top of a quarter and weighs less than half of a penny.

But to be really useful, these kinds of robots will need to be more than just small, Jayaram said. They will also need to be fast and powerful (agile), yet squishy enough to squeeze through cracks and around bends (adaptive). Those traits often bring trade-offs, but Jayaram wants to explore how robots can achieve both at the same time.

To meet that goal, he draws inspiration from what might seem an unlikely source: insects and other small creatures.

“Animals combine the best of both worlds—they can be really agile, but they’re also adaptable and able to respond to all kinds of new conditions,” he said. “We want to build highly intelligent mechanical systems that are just like those biological systems.”

Spider-bots

The researcher’s lab reveals those natural influences. Amid the circuit boards and soldering irons typical of robotics labs, Jayaram also keeps three different kinds of spiders: wolf spiders, which boast hairy legs, fishing spiders, which can stride over the surface of water, and crevice weaver spiders, which spend most of their lives in cracks and burrows.

These animals can do it all: Spiders can sprint when they need to be fast, turn on a dime and even stride up walls. If they want to crawl through a tight spot, they pull their legs in to shrink their bodies.

Through his new grants, Jayaram wants to build robots that can do those same things.

Currently, mCLARI changes shape, compressing its body when it encounters a narrow opening. But that process is passive—the robot simply squeezes down to fit the available space. Jayaram, in contrast, envisions robots that shape shift on command.

“If you want to be really fast, you can choose to be long and skinny,” he said. “If you want to be stable, then you can be wide. We need robots to be smart and shapeshift.”

Using pulses of electricity, the lab’s future robots will be able to not just shapeshift but also walk up walls or even along ceilings. The process relies on static electricity—the same thing that happens when you rub a balloon on your head. The group is also working to design a network of sensors that can extend over the bodies of their robots, allowing these machines to map out the world around them much like the eyes and skin of biological organisms do.

You probably won’t see tiny robots crawling over airplane wings in the next few years, Jayaram said. But within a decade, swarms of small robots may complete simple tasks, like crawling into pipes to fix electrical wires or take images of defects.

At the same time, he hopes to inspire the next generation of roboticists. His team has designed origami kits that give K-12 students the chance to build their own fully functional, bug-like robots. Kids can even choose how many legs to give their robots.

“We want kids to not be afraid of computers, and we’re doing that using biology,” Jayaram said. “Because everybody loves bugs.”

Kaushik Jayaram, a CU Boulder mechanical engineer, is the recipient of a $650,000 CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

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Biomedical engineering seniors design next-generation surgical tool

Megan Maneval — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:01:12 +0000

Biomedical engineering seniors design next-generation surgical tool Megan Maneval Mon, 04/28/2025 - 09:01

College of Engineering and Applied Science

A group of seniors is designing a next-generation Argon Beam Coagulator during their senior capstone design course. The project is a pencil-shaped handheld device that ionizes argon gas to produce a plasma beam that emits from the tip of the device, allowing surgeons to cut tissue and minimize bleeding at the same time.

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Students design new fluid aliquoting device to help ease hospital workloads

Megan Maneval — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 14:58:51 +0000

Students design new fluid aliquoting device to help ease hospital workloads Megan Maneval Mon, 04/28/2025 - 08:58

College of Engineering and Applied Science

As part of a capstone class, a group of seniors is working to increase access to life-saving therapies by developing an automated medical fluid aliquoting device that streamlines the fluid dosing process.

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Seniors work to unlock electrotherapy's untapped potential

Megan Maneval — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 14:56:21 +0000

Seniors work to unlock electrotherapy's untapped potential Megan Maneval Mon, 04/28/2025 - 08:56

College of Engineering and Applied Science

A group of seniors in the Biomedical Engineering program is designing their own sensor that can monitor skin conductance during electrotherapy. The sensor was developed during the group's senior capstone design course and was showcased at the Engineering Expo on April 25.

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AI in synthetic biology? Doctoral student says 'opportunities are endless'

Megan Maneval — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 18:38:42 +0000

AI in synthetic biology? Doctoral student says 'opportunities are endless' Megan Maneval Wed, 04/23/2025 - 12:38

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Carolus Vitalis, a doctoral student and National Science Foundation fellow who has co-authored several book chapters in synthetic biology, was one of the speakers at this year’s TEDxCU event. His talk discussed the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the field of synthetic biology.

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Science & Technology

Disneyland for physicists: Breakthrough Prize honors scientists at world’s largest particle collider

Like nowhere else

Dawn of the universe

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Spider-bots

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