Mirages, Oases, Mountains: a journey through the Standard Model

Success has been hard on particle physics. In one century we have gone from learning that atoms consist of nucleons to a complete and self-consistent description of microscopic nature which is able to accurately predict the properties of fundamental particles to the twelfth decimal place. And yet this Standard Model, which stretches out as far as the eye can see in our laboratories, is manifestly at odds with our best descriptions of the very macroscopic universe and its beginnings. Are we one ascent away from seeing a new world, or will we reach the top of the next ridge merely to better appreciate the plateau of knowledge which has become our home? I will reflect on the decades-long experimental quest for a more complete theory beyond the Standard Model and the machines and tools which are our essential companions on this journey.