Media advisory: Particle physicist who helped discover the Higgs boson available for comments regarding today’s Nobel Prize announcement

WHO: Alice Bean, professor of physics and astronomy, 785-842-4117 (mobile phone), abean@ku.edu

WHAT: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences today awarded the Nobel Prize in physics to theorists Francois Englert of Belgium and Peter Higgs of the United Kingdom to recognize their work developing the theory of what is now known as the Higgs field, which gives elementary particles mass.

Alice Bean and a University of Kansas research team played a significant role in discovering the particle that proves the existence of the Higgs field, the Higgs boson, through their work at the Large Hadron Collider operated by CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

WHEN: Bean is available today to provide comments and insight into the significance of the Nobel prize announcement and put into context the science behind the award. She is available to journalists via mobile phone and email.

“I’m excited that this important achievement has been recognized by the Nobel committee,” Bean said.