• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Features
  • Campus News
  • CSUDH.edu
  • Contact
  • People
    • Staff Spotlight
    • Faculty Highlights
    • Alumni
  • Magazine
  • For Journalists
    • CSUDH In The News
    • Press Releases
    • Facts and Figures
    • Find Media Experts
    • Gallery
    • News Reporting on Campus

CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

You are here: Home / Archive / Features / CSUDH professors’ team among 5 teams honored with ‘Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics’

CSUDH professors’ team among 5 teams honored with ‘Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics’

December 11, 2015

Jim Hill in Super-K slider
Professor Jim Hill in the massive Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) detector in Hida, Japan.

California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) physics faculty Ken Ganezer, Jim Hill, and William Keig were among 1,377 researchers on five teams honored with the “Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics” on Nov. 8 for their study and findings regarding neutrino oscillation.

The $3 million prize was accepted by the five team leaders at an Academy Award-style ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars and broadcast nationally on FOX. The prize money will be shared among all members of the teams.

Hill, chair of CSUDH’s Academic Senate, Ganezer and Keig were part of the team led by Takaaki Kayita and Yoichori Suzuki, which conducted its research at the Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) detector, a nucleon decay and neutrino observatory in Hida, Japan. In October, Kajita received the 2015 Nobel Prize< in Physics for the discovery of neutrino oscillations.

Jim Hill Super-Kamiokande
Photo curtesy of the Super-Kamiokande.

The Breakthrough Prize is awarded in recognition of scientific advance in three categories: life sciences, mathematics and fundamental physics. The awards were founded by Sergey Brin (Google) and Anne Wojcicki (23andMe), Jack Ma (Alibaba) and Cathy Zang, Yuri and Julia Milner (DST Global), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Pricilla Chan.

The prize for fundamental physics was established in 2012 by Milner, Russian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and physicist, to recognize physicists researching “the deepest mysteries of the Universe.”

“This relatively new prize is unique because it stresses collaborations, which are pivotal in much of contemporary science, and within international, multiple-disciplined efforts involving the mixing of math, biology, and physics,” said Ganezer, who also believes the large cash prize adds “credibility” to the field. “Famous donors, such as Mark Zuckerberg, and a televised award show with a comedian host [Seth MacFarlane], also help to build interest among young people in pursuing careers in breakthrough physics and science.”

In April 2015, Ganezer, Hill, Keig and CSUDH lecturer Brandon Hartfiel co-authored the study “Search for n−n(bar) oscillation in Super-Kamiokande,” which was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Physical Review D.

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: Faculty, Physics

Recent Features

Graduates at Commencement 2023

Commencement 2023 Highlights Perseverance

June 1, 2023

More than 3,300 proud Toros walked the stage at Commencement 2023 in Dignity Sports Park Tennis Stadium, supported by the joyous cheers of family, friends, and fellow students. Six ceremonies held on May 19-20 honored the commitment and persistence displayed by the Class of 2023, which ended one journey with a flip of ... Read More

Athletics Offers ‘Wider Lens’ on Academic Excellence, Says CSUDH AD Eric McCurdy

Athletics Offers ‘Wider Lens’ on Academic Excellence, Says CSUDH AD Eric McCurdy

June 1, 2023

For CSUDH Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Eric McCurdy, intercollegiate athletics are more than just an entertaining diversion—they’re a way for universities to spread the good news about what they’re doing everywhere on campus. “Athletics are the front porch of any university,” says McCurdy. ... Read More

From Skid Row to College Graduate

From Skid Row to College Graduate

May 17, 2023

Kevin Jones never expected to graduate from college. In fact, after graduating from high school in 1988, he made the conscious decision not to pursue higher education – even though his three sisters had all gone on to university studies. “School and I were not friends,” recalls Jones. “All the way through elementary ... Read More

... see all Featured Stories

Footer

California State University, Dominguez Hills Logo

1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747
1-310-243-2001 • Send Email

Related Sites

  • csudh.edu
  • magazine.csudh.edu
  • gotoros.com

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get CSUDH News directly in your inbox

Copyright © 2023 · California State University, Dominguez Hills