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Art Meets Science in Physics Building Mural

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:55:59 +0000

Art Meets Science in Physics Building Mural Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 11/20/2025 - 15:55

Kirsten Apodaca

Students heading to class in the Duane Physics and Astrophysics building now have a glimpse into the world’s largest particle detectors in a new mural painted by Veronica Keff.

A senior in astrophysical and planetary sciences and a self-taught artist, Keff is bringing the detectors to life in the east stairwell of the classroom wing.

The mural depicts two major particle detectors operating at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a particle collider that stretches in a loop over 16 miles long, near Geneva, Switzerland. Both experiments in the mural – the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment and the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) experiment, are global collaborations with significant �� Boulder participation by researchers in the High Energy Physics Group.

Keff worked with several physics faculty members including Keith Ulmer and Jamie Nagle, to understand the technical components of the massive CMS and ATLAS detectors – and how best to visually portray them.

Veronica Keff adds detail to the mural. (Image: Veronica Lingo)

The left side of the mural features a cross-section of the CMS detector, offering a peek into the complex wiring and sensors that make up the enormous instrument. Measuring 21 meters long, 15 meters in diameter, and weighing 12,000 tons, the CMS detector is quite “compact” considering what it contains. It houses a 4-Tesla superconducting solenoid magnet, a force about 100,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field.

On the right, Keff illustrated the particle tracks which demonstrated the existence of the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle that was confirmed for the first time by the CMS and ATLAS experiments at CERN in 2012.

First proposed nearly 50 years earlier, the Higgs was the final piece of the puzzle in the Standard Model, the theory that governs fundamental particles and their interactions. The Higgs field is what gives mass to particles like electrons and quarks.

The Higgs boson particle itself has such a short life that it cannot be detected directly. Once formed, it quickly breaks apart into other common particles. It’s also very rare: the Higgs boson only appears in about one in 40 million particle collisions. Scientists at CERN found evidence of the Higgs by analyzing trillions of collisions and tracing particles left behind by its decay. The discovery was announced on July 4, 2012.

The inspiration

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at CERN. (Image: CERN)

Event display from the ATLAS experiment during the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. (Image: CERN)

The Beauty of Science

Though she has never formally studied art, Keff has always been passionate about both science and art, ever since she was a kid. In recent years, she has highlighted the importance of conveying science through art to engage the public.

“I have always seen art and science as two sides of the same coin, and their duality is what grants both depth and meaning to the world around us,” said Keff.

I have always seen art and science as two sides of the same coin, and their duality is what grants both depth and meaning to the world around us." - Veronica Keff

Several years ago, she got her first mural gig painting Jupiter’s Galilean moons in the bathrooms at �� Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium.

Last year, Keff was accepted to Psyche Inspired, a NASA and Arizona State University visual arts internship. The program hosts 16 undergraduates from around the country as they develop artistic and creative works showcasing the science and engineering behind NASA’s mission to the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche.

She produced four original works through the program and credits that experience for boosting her confidence to take on a larger project – the murals in the physics building.

Bringing art to Duane Physics

Veronica Keff works on the cross-section of the CMS detector. (Image: Veronica Lingo)

Keff brought her mural ideas in a proposal to Tobin Munsat, chair of physics, and Dave Brain, chair of astrophysical and planetary sciences.

“When Veronica brought this idea to us, I was excited at the prospect of making the building a more cheerful and vibrant place by depicting the scientific research that people in the building are engaging in,” said Brain.

As part of the Art Buffs Collective, a new campus initiative designed to center art in all academic, personal and professional worlds, Keff received funding to work on the project.

And with enthusiastic support from both departments, and with help from facilities management, Keff got the green light to start painting.

She started on the east stairwell mural over the summer, spending many days sketching, envisioning, and painting. Keff used a virtual reality headset to help check the size and scale of the mural.

“I used an app called Contour where you upload a picture and place it around you in a three-dimensional space,” she said. “It helped lay out exactly where the mural would go.”

The east stairwell mural is the first in a series of projects Keff proposed for the physics building. In the coming months, she plans to paint an astrophysics-themed mural featuring various components of a galaxy's spectrum, the elements of which can be traced to processes of star formation, accretion of dust and gas, as well as supernovae.

Reflecting on the process, Keff hopes her art helps bring some of �� Boulder’s research to life. “I wanted to show that even though there are individual projects and niche focus areas, it all comes together in the big picture.”

Portraying scientific concepts can be challenging, but Keff hopes people will appreciate the scale, color, and beauty of this complex research. She added, “the more we represent the beauty of what scientific research can be, the more people will realize its value and potential.”

Veronica Keff paints the mural in the Duane Physics and Astrophysics building. (Image: Veronica Lingo)

Students heading to class in the Duane Physics and Astrophysics building now have a glimpse into the world’s largest particle detectors in a new mural painted by astrophysics senior Veronica Keff.

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Veronica Keff paints the mural in the Duane Physics and Astrophysics building. (Image: Veronica Lingo)

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Four physics faculty recognized as "Highly Cited Researchers" by Clarivate

Kirsten Apodaca — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:28:16 +0000

Four physics faculty recognized as "Highly Cited Researchers" by Clarivate Kirsten Apodaca Wed, 11/19/2025 - 10:28

Professors Joe Berry, Michael McGehee, Michael Toney, and Jun Ye have been recognized by Clarivate as "Highly Cited Researchers" for demonstrating “broad and significant influence in their fields.”

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Jun Ye named "Highly Cited Researcher" by Clarivate for 12th consecutive year

Kirsten Apodaca — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:59:49 +0000

Jun Ye named "Highly Cited Researcher" by Clarivate for 12th consecutive year Kirsten Apodaca Fri, 11/14/2025 - 08:59

Professor and JILA/NIST Fellow Jun Ye has once again been recognized as one of the world’s most influential scientists. For the 12th year in a row, Ye has earned a place on the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list, an honor reserved for researchers whose work ranks among the top 1% of citations globally across their fields.

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Colorado physics conference brings 120 undergraduates to Boulder

Kirsten Apodaca — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 22:02:43 +0000

Colorado physics conference brings 120 undergraduates to Boulder Kirsten Apodaca Fri, 11/07/2025 - 15:02

Kirsten Apodaca

A conference for physics students, organized by physics students.

On Saturday, October 4, about 120 undergraduates from universities across Colorado and Wyoming put their research on display at the Colorado Undergraduate Physics Conference in Boulder.

The one-day conference featured short talks by undergraduate researchers in parallel sessions and an afternoon poster session. Three distinguished faculty gave plenary talks including University of Denver Professor Mark Siemens (PhDPhys’09), and �� Boulder Professors Ed Kinney and Margaret Murnane.

25 students gave talks in parallel sessions grouped by research area, and 31 students presented posters during the afternoon poster session.

“The Colorado Undergrad Physics Conference was a wonderful opportunity for the many outstanding undergraduate researchers in our state to present their work and interact with each other,” said Keith Ulmer, associate professor of physics and faculty advisor to �� Boulder’s Society of Physics Students chapter. “The quality of the presentations was exceptional.”

Organized entirely by student leaders from �� Boulder groups SPS and ��-Prime, and supported by the Department of Physics and Quantum Scholars, the conference gave students the chance to present their research and practice scientific communication skills. The best speaker and best poster award recipients were selected by faculty and graduate student volunteers.

Motivated by the energy he drew from attending his first conference a year prior, co-organizer and physics undergraduate student Ben Braun was driven to provide that same opportunity to fellow undergraduates. That experience made Braun realize the impact such conferences can have on individuals. “Opportunities like this are incredibly important as they help develop the scientists of tomorrow through scientific communication and networking.”

Luke Adams, co-organizer and physics graduate student, said he was inspired to help organize this conference because his undergrad institution held a similar event. “I found it very impactful to see what ‘real’ research looked like early in my education,” said Adams.

Ulmer praised the conference’s leadership team for their outstanding work putting the conference together. “They saw a real need for a conference like this focused on undergraduate research topics and filled it in a spectacularly successful way,” he said. “The ambition to take on such a large organizational effort is impressive and the results more than justified all of the effort that went into organizing the event."

One of the primary goals of the conference was to eliminate standard barriers for undergraduate attendance, making it more approachable and accessible. “Amazingly we were able to host this conference with no registration fees for attendees,” said Braun. “We are incredibly grateful for the organizational, financial and logistical support provided by the Department of Physics, and we look forward to collaborating on opportunities like this again in the future.”

The organizing team hopes this conference will continue on an annual basis, and they already have plans to host it again at �� Boulder next year.

Quick Facts

By the numbers

120 undergrads attended

8 universities represented: Colorado School of Mines, Regis University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, University of Denver, University of Wyoming, US Air Force Academy

25 undergrads presented talks in parallel sessions

31 poster presentations

16 student volunteers from �� Boulder SPS

Check out the Colorado Undergraduate Physics Conference

A conference for physics students, organized by physics students. On Saturday, October 4, about 120 undergraduates from universities across Colorado and Wyoming put their research on display at the Colorado Undergraduate Physics Conference in Boulder.

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Noah Finkelstein honored as Distinguished Professor by University of Colorado

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:49:02 +0000

Noah Finkelstein honored as Distinguished Professor by University of Colorado Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 11/06/2025 - 06:49

Noah Finkelstein has been named a Distinguished Professor, ��’s highest honor for faculty across the four-campus system. Finkelstein was selected for his exceptional contributions to research, teaching and service.

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Mihály Horányi honored as 2025 professor of distinction

Kirsten Apodaca — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 22:19:41 +0000

Mihály Horányi honored as 2025 professor of distinction Kirsten Apodaca Fri, 10/24/2025 - 16:19

Mihály Horányi, a University of Colorado Boulder professor of physics, has been named the 2025 College Professor of Distinction by the College of Arts and Sciences in recognition of his exceptional service, teaching and research.

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Arabella Quane wins award at APS 4 Corners Conference

Kirsten Apodaca — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 21:04:33 +0000

Arabella Quane wins award at APS 4 Corners Conference Kirsten Apodaca Tue, 10/21/2025 - 15:04

Kirsten Apodaca

Undergraduate physics major Arabella Quane received an “Outstanding Oral Student Presentation” award at the recent American Physical Society 4 Corners Section Conference held at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

The conference, held annually in one of the four-corners states – Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah – draws about 150 students who present their research through oral presentations or poster sessions.

“There are evaluators from multiple institutions, and they judge based on the quality of the presentation and the presenter’s ability to answer questions,” said John Cumalat, professor of distinction in physics and honors council representative. “�� Boulder doesn’t have a winner every year, but this year we are fortunate to have Arabella Quane chosen for one of these awards.”

Quane, a junior double-majoring in physics and anthropology, presented research from her work in Professor Gang Cao’s condensed matter physics lab. Her talk was titled “Magneto-Synthesis of Metastable Metallic States in a Spin-Orbit-Coupled Trimer Iridate.”

"I’m honored and grateful for this award,” said Quane. “It’s been an incredible opportunity to share my research and hear so many fascinating talks."

Cao said Quane is an exceptionally dedicated student who embraces challenges with enthusiasm. “Arabella can now solve unknown crystal structure, a highly valuable skill that many professionals build their careers upon,” he added. “Her commitment and intellectual drive exemplify the kind of thoughtful, determined young scientist this country needs for its future.”

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Diddams elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Kirsten Apodaca — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 23:12:10 +0000

Diddams elected to the National Academy of Engineering Kirsten Apodaca Fri, 10/17/2025 - 17:12

Scott Diddams, Professor in Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and the Department of Physics, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his outstanding contributions in optical frequency combs and their applications.

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Physics graduate student explores fluid-based laser scanning for brain imaging in Gopinath Lab

Kirsten Apodaca — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:14 +0000

Physics graduate student explores fluid-based laser scanning for brain imaging in Gopinath Lab Kirsten Apodaca Tue, 10/14/2025 - 18:00

Physics PhD student Darwin Quiroz is co-first author of a new study that demonstrates how a fluid-based optical device known as an electrowetting prism can be used to steer lasers at high speeds for advanced imaging applications.

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2025 Nobel Laureate in physics once served as mentor to grad students at �� Boulder

Kirsten Apodaca — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:56:36 +0000

2025 Nobel Laureate in physics once served as mentor to grad students at �� Boulder Kirsten Apodaca Thu, 10/09/2025 - 14:56

Like many rockstar scientists, 2025 physics Nobel Laureate John Martinis spent time in Boulder’s rich scientific ecosystem mentoring graduate students and inspiring others in quantum computing.

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News

Art Meets Science in Physics Building Mural

The Beauty of Science

Bringing art to Duane Physics

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Four physics faculty recognized as "Highly Cited Researchers" by Clarivate

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Jun Ye named "Highly Cited Researcher" by Clarivate for 12th consecutive year

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Colorado physics conference brings 120 undergraduates to Boulder

By the numbers

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Noah Finkelstein honored as Distinguished Professor by University of Colorado

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Mihály Horányi honored as 2025 professor of distinction

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Arabella Quane wins award at APS 4 Corners Conference

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Diddams elected to the National Academy of Engineering

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Physics graduate student explores fluid-based laser scanning for brain imaging in Gopinath Lab

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2025 Nobel Laureate in physics once served as mentor to grad students at ���������� Boulder

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2025 Nobel Laureate in physics once served as mentor to grad students at �� Boulder