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TaoFest

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Description

This symposium celebrates Tao Han's wide-ranging scientific achievements in particle physics and his many influential contributions to the field and its community.

Dates: May 14-15, 2026
Venue: University of Pittsburgh, Benedum Hall, Room 157

Special Events: 

May 13 at 6:30 PM, Reception at the Allegheny Observatory. Shuttle bus pick up at the Hilton Garden Inn at 6:00 PM. 

May 14 at 6:30 PM, Conference banquet at the William Pitt Union  

Surveys
Welcome reception at Allegheny observatory
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  • Thursday 14 May
    • 08:30 → 09:00
      Breakfast and registration 30m
    • 09:00 → 10:20
      Talks: Day1 Monring1 157 (Benedum Hall)

      157

      Benedum Hall
      • 09:00
        Welcome 10m
        Speaker: Adam Leibovich (University of Pittsburgh)
      • 09:10
        The Madison–Pitt Legacy: From Theoretical Beauty to Collider Discovery 15m
        Speaker: Vernon Barger
        TaoFest_Madison_Pitt_Legacy_3.pdf
        TaoFest_Madison_Pitt_Legacy_3.pptx
      • 09:30
        Doing Particle Physics because It is Fun 20m
        Speakers: Tilman Plehn, Tilman Plehn (Heidelberg University)
        taofest_26_tilman.pdf
      • 09:55
        The Tao of Leadership 20m
        Speaker: Elizabeth Simmons (University of California, San Diego)
    • 10:20 → 10:50
      Coffee break 30m
    • 10:50 → 12:30
      Talks: Day1 Morning2 157 (Benedum Hall)

      157

      Benedum Hall
    • 12:30 → 14:00
      Lunch break 1h 30m
    • 14:00 → 15:15
      Talks: Day1 Afternoon1 157 (Benedum Hall)

      157

      Benedum Hall
      • 14:00
        Parton level Monte Carlos, vector boson scattering and other fun work with Tao 20m
        Speakers: Dieter Zeppenfeld, Dieter Zeppenfeld (KIT, Karlsruhe)
        TaoFest2026.pdf
      • 14:25
        The Colorful Life of Tao in the Colorless H Branch 20m
        Speakers: Shufang Su (University of Arizona), Shufang Su (University of Arizona), Shufang Su (University of Arizona)
        Taofest_05142026_Su.key
        Taofest_05142026_Su.pdf
      • 14:50
        LNV and VBS in the Tao Sector 20m
        Speaker: Richard Ruiz (Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN))
    • 15:15 → 15:45
      Coffee break 30m
    • 15:45 → 17:25
      Talks: Day1 Afternoon2 157 (Benedum Hall)

      157

      Benedum Hall
      • 15:50
        High Energy Physics in the Times of Tao 20m
        Speaker: Carlos E.M. Wagner
        TaoFest.pdf
      • 16:15
        From TASI to the CSM 20m
        Speakers: Neil Christensen (Illinois State University), Dr Neil Christensen (Illinois State University)
        TaoFest.pdf
      • 16:40
        Dark Matter Scattering: New Signals and Models 20m
        Speakers: Bhaskar Dutta, Bhaskar Dutta, Prof. Bhaskar Dutta
        Models in DM scattering.pdf
      • 17:05
        TBD 20m
        Speaker: Jack Gunion
    • 18:30 → 21:30
      Banquet Lower Lounge (William Pitt Union)

      Lower Lounge

      William Pitt Union
  • Friday 15 May
    • 08:30 → 09:00
      Breakfast 30m
    • 09:00 → 10:15
      Talks: Day2 Monring1 157 (Benedum Hall)

      157

      Benedum Hall
      • 09:00
        Electroweak Restoration at the LHC and beyond 20m
        Speaker: Ian Lewis (The University of Kansas)
        IML_TaoFest.pdf
      • 09:25
        TAO at future lepton colliders 20m
        Speaker: Dr Yang Ma (UCLouvain)
        TaoFest2026_YM.pdf
      • 09:50
        A Journey Through the Energy Frontier with Tao 20m
        Speaker: Dorival Gonçalves (Oklahoma State University)
        Dorival_TaoFest.pdf
    • 10:15 → 10:45
      Coffee break 30m
    • 10:45 → 12:00
      Talks: Day2 Monring2+Remarks 157 (Benedum Hall)

      157

      Benedum Hall
      • 10:50
        What Can Tao and I Do With High-Energy Neutrinos? 20m
        Speaker: Dan Hooper (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
        Hooper-TaoFest.pdf
      • 11:15
        The Tao (道）of Symmetry: an Information-theoretic Perspective 20m
        Speakers: Ian Low (Argonne National Lab/Northwestern Univ), Ian Low, Ian Low (Argonne National Laboratory (US))
        Low-Taofest.pdf
      • 11:40
        My quantum journey with Tao 20m
        Speakers: Liantao Wang, Liantao Wang
        Wang-Taofest.pdf