Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Physics and Astronomy

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Stony Brook Research Experience for Undergraduates in Physics program brings 13 to 17 undergraduate students to the Stony Brook campus each summer for participation in an eight-week program of forefront research in the laboratories of Stony Brook physics and astronomy faculty members. This award provides support for 12 of these students; the rest are supported from other funds. The immediate aim of this program is to provide training in, encourage interest in, and appreciation of, scientific research in physics and to facilitate career planning by the actual doing of research in a collegial setting, by site visits to research laboratories at Stony Brook and Brookhaven National Laboratory, by weekly seminars on current topics in physics and astronomy, and finally by presentations of student research results in a formal symposium and a written report at the conclusion of the program. Outstanding projects are submitted for presentation at other student research symposia. The broader aims of the program include increasing the pool of qualified scientific researchers, and to foster appreciation and understanding of research methods to those who go on to other fields of endeavor. The program offers research opportunities in the areas of astronomy and planetary sciences, atmospheric physics, high-energy particle physics, instructional laboratory instrumentation, lasers and optics, nuclear physics and solid-state/condensed matter physics. Most projects are experimental but a few are theoretical. Recruiting efforts concentrate on sophomore and junior-level physics majors of high academic standing, many from colleges in which research opportunities are limited. Particular efforts are made to attract women and students from under-represented minorities.