IRES: Undergraduate Research at CERN - Explorations in Accelerator-Based Science

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

Through this three-year International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program for U.S. students, George Mason University (GMU) will conduct a nine-week, combined research internship-training program for eighteen undergraduates in cooperation with counterparts at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Located in Geneva, Switzerland, CERN is a world-class international research center that supports all aspects of accelerator-based science: theory, research and development, information technology, experiments, and data analysis. Users of the facilities, including students, work in these areas along with research counterparts and staff at CERN. With access to technically complex particle accelerators and detectors, experiments and research activities carried out there are among the most advanced in accelerator-based science. Each year, scientists from almost 600 institutes and universities (and 85 nations) visit the laboratory to collaborate. U.S. scientists, including the Principal Investigator, are engaged in experiments based at one or another of the accelerators at the CERN complex, including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In this exceptional setting, CERN conducts an annual Summer Student Research Programme for up to 300 undergraduates from Europe and other countries. With direction from the P.I., six U.S. students supported by this IRES grant will work with CERN-affiliated mentors and participate in the summer program, where they will learn alongside fellow students and professionals from every corner of the globe. To ensure opportunities for broader participation in the IRES at CERN, George Mason University will recruit by inviting advanced students to apply who are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and attending member institutions of the diverse Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, an historically Black or women's college or university in the greater District of Columbia region, or a Northern Virginia community college. Selected student participants will spend their first of nine weeks at GMU in a preparatory workshop, followed by eight weeks at CERN for a well-planned program that includes skill development, research experience under the co-supervision of the P.I. and an on-site expert, academic and career advising, and multiple professional networking opportunities. Participating students must make one or more presentations at CERN and author a technical report on their project for posting on the IRES program web site and evaluation by mentors. IRES participation will contribute not only to on-going accelerator-based science, but also-very importantly-to workforce preparation of junior U.S. scientists and engineers with a full range of scientific experience, including areas that involve hardware, software, data analysis, computer engineering, and design and simulation.