Professor, Steve Wasserbaech, at the CERN laboratory in Geneva

Utah Valley University physics professor Steve Wasserbaech will join some of the world's top minds during a yearlong appointment at the world-renowned CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. An expert in experimental particle physics, Wasserbaech has been approved for a one-year sabbatical to do research at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a gigantic scientific instrument spanning some 17 miles beneath the border between France and Switzerland.

"This is an incredible opportunity, and for it to come about right when research at the Large Hadron Collider is starting is almost too good to be true," said Wasserbaech, whose appointment begins Aug. 1 and will continue through the 2009-2010 academic year.

"CERN" is a French acronym for the European Organization for Nuclear Research. CERN is the world's largest particle physics lab, and research appointments to the international research group are particularly rare for researchers from countries other than CERN's 20 member nations.

"These appointments to CERN are very limited in number. While thousands work in some capacity with CERN, as few as 10 or 12 scientists from non-member nations were actually given appointments by the laboratory for this project," said Sam Rushforth, dean of UVU's College of Science & Health. "Dr. Steve Wasserbaech is one of the best scientists in the western United States and has unparalleled credentials."

The LHC is the largest particle accelerator in the world and will achieve the highest collision energies of any manmade accelerator, trumping by seven times the famed Tevatron accelerator at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois. The goal of LHC experiments is to gain a better understanding of the properties of the physical universe.

"It is no exaggeration to say that the LHC is currently the most important project in the field of particle physics," Wasserbaech said. "All of the world's particle physicists are eager to see what the LHC will reveal."

Wasserbaech's appointment will not only aid the scientific community, but it may be a boon to UVU students through independent research opportunities and exercises in connection with ongoing LHC experimentation. Wasserbaech hopes to maintain a relationship with CERN after his appointment is completed.

[jeremyredd]

I'm going to miss you terribly. If anyone who knew Steve reads this, especially his family, he was a special person. I owe him so much. You did great work and were an amazing educator. I was lucky that you touched my life. Thank you.

[kossboss]

Rest in peace. I remember your physics class. I was very excited to be in the class of a legend.

[rexregisanimi]

He was one of my favorite people I've ever known. I'm going to miss Steve so much!

[pamlarauvu]

He is such an amazing professor. I have the privilege (twice so far) to be one of his students. He is part of the teams involved in the Higgs Bosom discovery (or as he says: something very close to what a Higgs Bosom should look like). Highly recommended.