TEDxFIU: The art of the God particle

Pete E.C. Markowitz is a physicist with expertise in the electromagnetic production of quarks (especially strange quarks), exotic forms of matter and physics at the limits of the standard model. As a researcher, he’s involved in Jefferson Lab and the CERN accelerator in Switzerland. There, Markowitz leads FIU’s team in one of the largest scientific experiments in the world. Earlier this year, the world was captivated when scientists at CERN confirmed the existence of the elusive Higgs boson particle, the subatomic speck often referred to as the “God particle.” As a result, Markowitz collaborated with FIU artist Xavier Cortada on an art installation that will forever mark the historic occasion: five banners at Point Five at the Large Hadron Collider. Cortada has created art installations around the world, including at the Earth’s poles. In 2007, he used the moving ice sheet beneath the South Pole as an instrument to mark time; the art piece will be completed in 150,000 years. He has also been commissioned to create art for the White House, the World Bank, the Florida Supreme Court, General Mills, Nike, and Hershey’s. His work has been featured on National Geographic TV and the Discovery Channel.