This week in the Undergraduate STEM Research Seminar, our speaker, Susan Olmsted from Vanderbilt University, will present a very different approach to answering the same “Big Questions” we heard about last week. Susan uses a high energy particle collider — the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — to search for the existence of a never-before-seen particle. In her talk Search for Heavy Gauge Bosons Decaying to Tau Leptons using Vector Boson Fusion Processes in Proton-proton Collisions at CMS, Susan will introduce the LHC, how the discovery of a new particle would help answer fundamental questions about the universe, and she will present details about her particular search. The seminar will be this Friday at 4pm in Bruner Hall 210. (Snacks will be served starting at 3:30pm.) These seminars are geared for undergraduates from any STEM major, but graduate students and faculty are also encouraged to attend! For questions, contact aholley@tntech.edu.