  The discovery of the Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations in 2012
concluded the longest search for a particle in the history of particle physics
and was based on the largest and most complex physics experiments ever
conducted, involving thousands of scientists and engineers from around the
world. It provided crucial evidence for a theory developed in the 1960s that
describes the existence of the invisible Brout-Englert-Higgs field and the
effects of this field on the mass of elementary particles. After the discovery,
the work on the theoretical prediction was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
2013. This discovery provides a prime example of modern science in the making
and a fantastic opportunity to discuss important aspects of Nature of Science
(NoS) in the classroom. In this article, we draw connections between a)
milestones in the discovery of the Higgs boson, b) important aspects of NoS,
and c) hands-on activities with mystery boxes, which are an effective tool to
enable students to experience elements of scientific discovery and explicitly
reflect on NoS. We hope that this supports educators in bringing lively
discussions about modern physics research into their classrooms.
