International: Research Experiences for Students at CERN

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

With the three-year International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) award, Philip D. Rubin, from George Mason University (GMU), will conduct a ten-week, combined Summer research internship-training program for fifteen undergraduates (five per year), in cooperation with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. CERN houses some of the world's largest and most technically complex scientific instruments in the form of particle accelerators and detectors, and is one of the most vibrant and international research centers in the world. All aspects of particle physics are pursued there: theory, research and development, information technology, experiments, and data analysis. The Principal Investigator is a member of the NA62 collaboration, a group of about 120 physicists from Europe, Russia, and North America, investigating ultra-rare kaon decays in a fixed target experiment using the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). Annually, CERN conducts a Summer Student Research Programme for nearly 200 undergraduates from around Europe and other countries; the students supported by this grant will participate in this program, and their projects may come from any of the research areas available at CERN. Participants will be drawn from students attending a member institution of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area or the Northern Virginia Community College. The first week of the program will be spent at GMU in a preparatory workshop, and the remaining nine weeks will be spent in Switzerland at CERN. The program will include skill development, research experience under the co-supervision of an on-site CERN expert and Professor Rubin, academic and career advising, and international networking opportunities. Each participating student will make at least one presentation at CERN and write a technical note on the project undertaken. CERN-stationed mentors will evaluate the experiences from their point of view, and the students will write a short summary and evaluation of their experiences.