Particle physics involves the study of the properties and interactions associated with the lowest level structures of matter - often called "elementary" particles. The study of these particles and their interactions requires the use of machines which can accelerate these bits of sub-atomic matter to near the speed of light, thus providing them with considerable energy.  A beam of these rapidly moving particles is caused to strike an appropriate target, thus interacting with the constituents of the material from which it (the target) is made. The resulting quite violent collisions which occur are studied using some of the most highly sophisticated electronics and computing equipment available. Such experiments are performed at accelerator sites around the world, the closest of which to Ball State is at Fermi National Laboratory, near Chicago, where Dr. Gerald Thomas researches particle physics. Other faculty members who conduct research in this area include Dr. David Grosnick.