What the Higgs?

Last summer Cern announced the discovery of a particle whose properties were consistent with characteristics of the Higgs boson. This particle was created by the LHC's proton- proton collider. In this workshop we will investigate the collisions that occur in particle accelerators through computer simulations, dramatic representations ( yes drama in the physics class ), hands on activities and analysis of real data. In addition we will examine the Higgs and debate its significance.

I have been teaching physics and science for the past 23 years. One of the reasons that my students have been successful in physics is that they see how it is applied in the real world. Every year my physics teaching style evolves as the result of implementing physics education research. My focus is on having the students actively learning rather than listening to me lecture to them .