What Are the Latest Advancements in Particle Physics for Beginners?

[K.J.Healey]

As my final project in particle phys. I just have to give a talk and I need some ideas.

I'm thinking either Strange-Star quark/gluon plasma properties and what's new in the field, or a quick overview of Lattice QCD, how it was started and what problems it assists in solving.

Any other suggestions on something that would both interest entry level students as well as the professor?

 

[Haelfix]

there's a bunch of good standard ones. Grand unified theories, neutrino oscillations, dimension 5-6 operators, supersymmetry (this is hard to do fast), strong CP problem, eta prime problem, pentaquarks, accelerator designs, bubble nucleation, extended higgs mechanisms, technicolor (also hard), instantons etc etc.