The ALICE Experiment at CERN

The ALICE Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is commencing a comprehensive program of measurements of high energy nucleus + nucleus collisions in order to extend our understanding of QCD and the novel properties of nuclear matter under extreme conditions. ALICE is the dedicated general purpose heavy ion experiment at the LHC which will measure the properties of the hot, dense nuclear matter produced in $Pb+Pb$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_ {NN}} = 5.5$ TeV, $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 14$ TeV, and other collision systems. We describe the rich ALICE program of physics objectives and future prospects, discuss the status of this year's inaugural run with $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 10$ TeV, and discuss key aspects of the detector design including those experimental contributions from institutes associated with the APS Southeastern Section.