Nobel Laureate's Legacy Endures: Higgs Boson Discoverer's Medal Gifted to University

In a significant gesture, the late Professor Peter Higgs has bequeathed his Nobel Prize medal to the University of Edinburgh, where he proposed a groundbreaking idea that would change scientists' understanding of the universe. Higgs, who passed away in April 2024 at the age of 94, was a researcher at the University of Edinburgh in 1964 when he predicted the existence of the Higgs boson, a particle now considered fundamental to the creation of the universe.

The existence of the Higgs boson, also known as the "God particle," was not confirmed until 2012, nearly half a century after Higgs' initial prediction. His work was eventually recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013, which he shared with Francois Englert. Now, the University of Edinburgh has announced that Higgs left his Nobel Prize medal to the institution in his will.

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, the principal and vice-chancellor of the university, expressed profound gratitude for this generous gift, stating that it will ensure Higgs' extraordinary contributions to science continue to inspire generations of students and researchers. The medal will be preserved by the university's Centre for Research Collections and displayed at various events and exhibitions, including the upcoming Higgs Lecture in 2026.