NEWS

Louisiana Tech University’s Physics Department within the College of Engineering and Science has been awarded a three-year, $395,362 National Science Foundation grant. The investment supports the continuation of Louisiana Tech’s cutting-edge research on the ATLAS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the largest and most powerful particle accelerator ever built, while providing advanced research and training opportunities for graduate students in physics.

ATLAS, which stands for A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS, is one of the two general-purpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider. It uses a massive toroidal magnet system to measure and analyze the particles produced in high-energy proton-proton collisions. ATLAS is a global scientific collaboration studying the smallest components of matter and their interactions. Its groundbreaking work has included the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 and continues to probe mysteries such as the nature of dark matter, the behavior of quark-gluon plasma, and the limits of the Standard Model of particle physics.

Led by Dr. Lee Sawyer, academic director of physics and chemistry and a longtime member of the ATLAS collaboration, the funding will support faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in both operating the experiment and analyzing its data. The grant will also fund Louisiana Tech’s annual International Particle Physics Masterclass, where high school students and teachers from across the region explore the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

A major component of Louisiana Tech’s proposal, Searches and Measurements in Multi-Jet Production at the LHC and HL-LHC, focuses on developing advanced machine learning tools to enhance the experiment’s capabilities. Working alongside collaborators from Stanford, the University of Paris, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Geneva, the team is creating AI systems that use high-precision timing signals to help identify rare and significant particle collisions. The group is also contributing to ATLAS-wide AI initiatives, including a large language model that enables scientists to search the experiment’s vast technical and scientific documentation more efficiently.

By the end of the grant period, the team aims to award multiple Ph.D. degrees, recruit new graduate students, publish several research papers, and further advance its AI-based analysis tools.

“This award underscores the fact that Louisiana Tech students have access to opportunities that rival those at the largest research universities,” said Dr. Collin Wick, dean of the College of Engineering and Science. “By working on a project of this scale and importance, our students not only contribute to discoveries that shape our understanding of the universe but also develop cutting-edge skills in AI, data analysis, and scientific collaboration that make them highly competitive in any career path they choose.”

This grant not only elevates Louisiana Tech’s profile on the global research stage but also gives students unparalleled opportunities to work alongside world-class scientists on one of the most advanced experiments in history. By engaging in high-impact research at CERN, students gain skills in data science, AI, and problem-solving that prepare them for top careers in industry, government, and academia.

“This funding means the continuation of high-energy physics research at Tech, which has been part of the highest-energy collider experiments since 1998,” Sawyer said. “We are one of very few mid-sized universities involved at this level, and this grant keeps us contributing to one of the most ambitious scientific projects in history.”

The research strengthens Louisiana Tech’s role in the international scientific community and also supports the department’s teaching mission. Students gain hands-on experience with tools and techniques at the forefront of AI and data science while engaging with timeless scientific questions: What is the universe made of? Where did it come from? How does it work?

“ATLAS is exploring the deepest laws of nature,” Sawyer said. “This grant ensures our students, faculty, and community can continue to be part of that exploration.”

About Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science
The College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University integrates engineering and scientific research with education to prepare students to solve complex, real-world problems. The college is nationally recognized for its collaborative, interdisciplinary approach and commitment to innovation in engineering, science, and technology.