Xavier Cortada and Physicist Pete Makowitz will speak at TEDxFIU. 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.

Xavier Cortada (with the participation of physicist Pete Markowitz), “In search of the Higgs boson,” digital art, 2013

Physicist Pete Markowitz and FIU Artist-in-Residence Xavier Cortada

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 theWhite 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.

Although this year’s live event is sold out, FIU will host a live simulcast event at the Miami Beach Urban Studios, 420 Lincoln Road on South Beach.  The screens inside the Graham Center will also be streaming the event and we will announce other viewing locations as they become available.  In addition, TEDxFIU 2013 will be streamed live online at TEDxFIU.com.

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, was created in order to share ideas, increase understanding and participate in a global conversation. We are excited to be part of this important dialogue. This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED. To learn more about the TED organization, please visit ted.com as well as our TEDxFIU website, tedxfiu.com.

If you have any questions, please contact TEDxFIU organizers Eduardo Merille at emerille@fiu.edu or Deborah O’Neil at oneild@fiu.edu.