REU Site: Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation Science

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Physics at Cornell University. The site will support twelve undergraduate students per year in research projects in accelerator physics and synchrotron radiation science. The student participants have full access to the resources of the Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education (CLASSE) and the University, and will work closely with experienced researchers. Although the research scope of this REU program is focused on understanding the fundamental physics of beams and accelerators and the uses of the radiation they produce, the techniques and technologies utilized are applicable to a much wider range of scientific careers. In addition, each student is asked to participate in one of the outreach programs at the Laboratory, teaching them to communicate the scientific ideas with the public and exposing them to the outreach prospects at their home institutions, through the Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapters and other outreach programs. CLASSE has an international reputation for research, with an array of programs including accelerator physics, synchrotron radiation research, and microwave superconductivity. The students will work on a range of projects that advance the Laboratory's scientific mission, further their education and training, and heighten their interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Students will also attend lectures on broad topics in the accelerator physics and X-ray sciences as well as take part in special seminars and hands-on activities that introduce various frontiers of physics research. Students will further attend events addressing social and ethical issues in scientific research and conduct with the larger cohort of REU groups at Cornell University. These joint activities will provide an environment that fosters networking of the future scientists. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.