{"id":111040,"date":"2026-09-22T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T18:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=111040"},"modified":"2026-09-22T14:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T18:49:12","slug":"mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary Washington Physics Alum Wins Huge Award for Study of Tiny Particles"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">Mary Washington Physics Alum Wins Huge Award for Study of Tiny Particles<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-09-22T14:46:00-04:00\">September 22, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Jill Laiacona<\/div><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Painting a picture of the quantum realm has long been the mission of Brendan Casey &rsquo;92. His quest, which has spanned nearly two decades, won him and his colleagues the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, one of the highest honors in the field.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s real&nbsp;<em>Antman<\/em>&nbsp;kind of stuff,&rdquo; said Casey, whose passion for physics research began as an undergraduate at Mary Washington. Now a senior scientist at Fermilab, a particle physics and accelerator laboratory in Illinois, he oversaw a team of 200 scientists who carried out the final phase of the experiment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"719\" height=\"960\" data-attachment-id=\"111108\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/in-ring\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/in-ring.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"719,960\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92, a senior scientist at Fermilab in Illinois, won the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the final phase in the Muon g-2 experiment. Seen here inside the massive superconducting magnet known as &amp;#8220;The Ring,&amp;#8221; Brendan&amp;#8217;s passion for physics research began at Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/in-ring.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/in-ring.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a lanyard and smiling, surrounded by equipment for physics research.\" class=\"wp-image-111108\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7489707292312898;width:356px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/in-ring.jpg 719w, https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/in-ring-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brendan Casey &rsquo;92, a senior scientist at Fermilab in Illinois, won the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the final phase in the Muon g-2 experiment. Seen here inside the massive superconducting magnet known as &ldquo;The Ring,&rdquo; His passion for physics research began at Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike the Marvel movie, where characters shrink themselves to enter the quantum realm, Casey and his team made and measured muons &ndash; tiny particles that could change our understanding of the universe and the standard model of particle physics. The award they earned this spring places them alongside some of the world&rsquo;s most renowned physicists, including Stephen Hawking, Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Kip Thorne.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;This is one of the greatest collaborations of all time,&rdquo; Casey said. The research for the Muon g-2 experiment began nearly 60 years ago at CERN, a lab in Geneva, Switzerland; continued in Brookhaven, Long Island, in the 1990s; and eventually moved to Fermilab. All three facilities were recognized with the Breakthrough Prize for their contributions, sharing the $3 million prize that comes with the award.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Casey, who grew up in Massapequa, Long Island, learned about Mary Washington from a high school teacher who was from Fredericksburg. When he visited during the spring semester, Ball Circle was buzzing with energy and bodies in motion, as students played frisbee and sunbathed. &ldquo;It just felt like the right place for me,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He planned to study psychology, but a physics class taught by Professor Emeritus Bulent Atalay made him realize what mattered to him.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;Dr. Atalay covered art, culture and science, webbing it together into this beautiful story,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;And I interact with people from different countries and disciplines, so having a liberal arts education helps me understand where others are coming from and explain my own perspective.&rdquo;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He served as class vice president and president and played men&rsquo;s rugby for his first couple of years of college. During his junior year, however, he was pulled toward research and found his purpose. Soon, he was spending day and night in the lab, exploring particle-wave duality, general relativity, and the curvature of time and space.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;That launched me toward the career path I&rsquo;ve been on ever since,&rdquo; said Casey, who presented his findings at undergraduate research conferences with his faculty advisor, Professor Emeritus George King III, and won a competition for best paper.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He then earned a master&rsquo;s degree at San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. at the University of Hawaii. After post-doctoral research at Brown University, he joined Fermilab, where the team was looking for its next major project.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"868\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"111110\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/screen-shot-2026-09-15-at-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-15-at-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"868,1138\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;From the cover of Mary Washington College Today, Winter 1992: Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 (left) and Andrea Neves &amp;#8217;92 use a laser for fractal research under the guidance of Professor Emeritus George King III. Photo by Lou Cordero and courtesy of UMW Special Collections and University Archives.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-15-at-1-781x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"111110\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-15-at-1-868x772.jpg\" alt=\"Two students from 1992 along with their professor on the cover of Mary Washington College Today magazine from Winter 1992.\" class=\"wp-image-111110\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"111107\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/ground-breaking\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/ground-breaking.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,884\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 and his colleagues at Fermilab at the 2013 groundbreaking of the experiment hall where they&amp;#8217;d later conduct the Muon g-2 experiment. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/ground-breaking-1024x603.jpg\" data-id=\"111107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/ground-breaking-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people with shovels at a construction site with equipment and buildings behind them.\" class=\"wp-image-111107\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"111109\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/physics-award-guy\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/physics-award-guy.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1475\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 (left) returned to Mary Washington for the Research and Creativity Symposium in 2025 to share his findings with UMW students and faculty, including Assistant Professor of Physics Varun Makhija (center) and Assistant Professor of Physics Desmond Villalba (right). Photo by Lisa Chinn Marvashti &amp;#8217;92.  &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/physics-award-guy-1024x590.jpg\" data-id=\"111109\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/physics-award-guy-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A man standing in a classroom with two professors seated at a table and a presentation on a screen.\" class=\"wp-image-111109\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"111111\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/unknown-38\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Unknown.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 and his colleagues celebrate earning the Breakthrough Prize in Particle Physics earlier this spring. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Unknown-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"111111\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Unknown-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people outside on a patio with a building behind them and a yellow umbrella to their left.\" class=\"wp-image-111111\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"111106\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/big-move\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/big-move.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1001\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A tractor trailer transported the superconducting magnet across state lines from New York to Illinois in summer 2013. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/big-move-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"111106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/big-move-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A tractor trailer transporting a giant piece of technology for a physics experiment.\" class=\"wp-image-111106\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"111105\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/arrival\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/arrival.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1210,968\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Fermilab team with &amp;#8220;The Ring,&amp;#8221; a massive superconducting magnet that had to be transported from Brookhaven, New York, to Fermilab in Illinois in summer 2013 for the final phase of the Muon g-2 experiment. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/arrival-1024x819.jpg\" data-id=\"111105\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/arrival-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"A giant piece of technology on a tractor trailer, along with a large group of people, taken from an aerial view.\" class=\"wp-image-111105\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"111110\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/screen-shot-2026-09-15-at-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-15-at-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"868,1138\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;From the cover of Mary Washington College Today, Winter 1992: Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 (left) and Andrea Neves &amp;#8217;92 use a laser for fractal research under the guidance of Professor Emeritus George King III. Photo by Lou Cordero and courtesy of UMW Special Collections and University Archives.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-15-at-1-781x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"111110\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-15-at-1-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Two students from 1992 along with their professor on the cover of Mary Washington College Today magazine from Winter 1992.\" class=\"wp-image-111110\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"111107\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/ground-breaking\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/ground-breaking.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,884\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 and his colleagues at Fermilab at the 2013 groundbreaking of the experiment hall where they&amp;#8217;d later conduct the Muon g-2 experiment. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/ground-breaking-1024x603.jpg\" data-id=\"111107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/ground-breaking-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people with shovels at a construction site with equipment and buildings behind them.\" class=\"wp-image-111107\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"111109\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/physics-award-guy\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/physics-award-guy.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1475\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 (left) returned to Mary Washington for the Research and Creativity Symposium in 2025 to share his findings with UMW students and faculty, including Assistant Professor of Physics Varun Makhija (center) and Assistant Professor of Physics Desmond Villalba (right). Photo by Lisa Chinn Marvashti &amp;#8217;92.  &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/physics-award-guy-1024x590.jpg\" data-id=\"111109\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/physics-award-guy-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A man standing in a classroom with two professors seated at a table and a presentation on a screen.\" class=\"wp-image-111109\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"111111\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/unknown-38\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Unknown.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Brendan Casey &amp;#8217;92 and his colleagues celebrate earning the Breakthrough Prize in Particle Physics earlier this spring. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Unknown-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"111111\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/Unknown-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people outside on a patio with a building behind them and a yellow umbrella to their left.\" class=\"wp-image-111111\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"111106\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/big-move\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/big-move.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1001\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A tractor trailer transported the superconducting magnet across state lines from New York to Illinois in summer 2013. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/big-move-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"111106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/big-move-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A tractor trailer transporting a giant piece of technology for a physics experiment.\" class=\"wp-image-111106\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 5 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"111105\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/arrival\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/arrival.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1210,968\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Fermilab team with &amp;#8220;The Ring,&amp;#8221; a massive superconducting magnet that had to be transported from Brookhaven, New York, to Fermilab in Illinois in summer 2013 for the final phase of the Muon g-2 experiment. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/arrival-1024x819.jpg\" data-id=\"111105\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/arrival-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"A giant piece of technology on a tractor trailer, along with a large group of people, taken from an aerial view.\" class=\"wp-image-111105\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From the cover of Mary Washington College Today, Winter 1992: Brendan Casey &rsquo;92 (left) and Andrea Neves &rsquo;92 use a laser for fractal research under the guidance of Professor Emeritus George King III. Photo by Lou Cordero and courtesy of UMW Special Collections and University Archives.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brendan Casey &rsquo;92 and his colleagues at Fermilab at the 2013 groundbreaking of the experiment hall where they&rsquo;d later conduct the Muon g-2 experiment. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brendan Casey &rsquo;92 (left) returned to Mary Washington for the Research and Creativity Symposium in 2025 to share his findings with UMW students and faculty, including Assistant Professor of Physics Varun Makhija (center) and Assistant Professor of Physics Desmond Villalba (right). Photo by Lisa Chinn Marvashti &rsquo;92.  <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brendan Casey &rsquo;92 and his colleagues celebrate earning the Breakthrough Prize in Particle Physics earlier this spring. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A tractor trailer transported the superconducting magnet across state lines from New York to Illinois in summer 2013. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Fermilab team with &ldquo;The Ring,&rdquo; a massive superconducting magnet that had to be transported from Brookhaven, New York, to Fermilab in Illinois in summer 2013 for the final phase of the Muon g-2 experiment. Photo courtesy of Brendan Casey.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;My colleagues and I pushed for muons,&rdquo; said Casey, who helped secure funding, develop new technologies and assemble a group of talented researchers. &ldquo;My goal is always to be the worst physicist on a team of superstars. And everyone became even better.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They needed to be. The experiment involved moving a massive superconducting magnet known as &ldquo;The Ring&rdquo; &ndash; so large that it occupied four highway lanes &ndash; from New York to Illinois. The team studied traffic routes, weather patterns and even wave heights to transport the technology across state lines.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;It felt like the most challenging escape room ever,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;But time doesn&rsquo;t run out, and you&rsquo;re working with the most incredible group of people and celebrating every win together.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He plans to build on the momentum with more muon research and a program exploring neutrinos &ndash; tiny, neutral particles that have no mass and ignore electrical and magnetic fields. He also hopes to foster future collaboration between Mary Washington and Fermilab.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;We have spots for undergraduates to do summer research,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you want to break the laws of particle physics and answer the most challenging questions in the universe, there&rsquo;s only a few places in the world where you can do that.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Casey&nbsp;shared his experiences with UMW students &ndash; who learn about the Muon g-2 experiment in their introductory physics lab &ndash; when he returned to his alma mater for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/02\/student-achievement-shines-at-umws-annual-research-and-creativity-symposium\/\">Research and Creativity Symposium<\/a>&nbsp;in 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;We want our students to be aware of the most exciting developments in these fields and emphasize that they can be part of the scientific endeavor,&rdquo; Assistant Professor of Physics Varun Makhija said. &ldquo;Hearing about Dr. Casey&rsquo;s journey showed them the level of scientific contribution that they could be capable of in the future.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/alumni.umw.edu\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alumni.umw.edu\/\">Read more<\/a> stories about Mary Washington alumni.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byPainting a picture of the quantum realm has long been the mission of Brendan Casey &rsquo;92. His quest, which has spanned nearly two decades, won him and his colleagues the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, one of the highest honors in the field.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s real&nbsp;Antman&nbsp;kind of stuff,&rdquo; said Casey, whose passion for physics research began [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1236,"featured_media":111104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-111040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-stories","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mary Washington Physics Alum Wins Huge Award for Study of Tiny Particles - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/22\/mary-washington-physics-alum-wins-huge-award-for-study-of-tiny-particles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mary Washington Physics Alum Wins Huge Award for Study of Tiny Particles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byPainting a picture of the quantum realm has long been the mission of Brendan Casey &rsquo;92. 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