MADISON – University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers Wesley Smith and Sau Lan Wu, who have leading roles in experiments to find the Higgs boson, are available to comment on the most recent developments in the search. The Higgs boson is an elusive particle expected to hold key information about how the universe is built. An announcement from the European Organization for Nuclear Research's (CERN) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collaboration is scheduled for 2 a.m. CDT July 4.

The Higgs boson, sometimes referred to as the "God particle," has been sought since it was first theorized in 1964. Its discovery would confirm the standard model of physics to explain what gives mass to matter, an essential ingredient for formation of the universe. The work at the $10 billion LHC has been conducted by thousands of scientists working in independent teams. Both Wu and Smith have been working on different teams at the LHC to conduct experiments and analyze the masses of data collected so far.

Detailed background on Wisconsin researchers' quest for the Higgs can be found here: http://www.news.wisc.edu/on-wisconsin/heart-of-the-matter/. Photos of the Wisconsin scientists are available at: http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/higgs-boson.html.

The Wisconsin researchers can be contacted in advance of or after the CERN announcement on July 4. Wu is in Switzerland and will be attending the announcement on site at CERN. Smith is in Madison.

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