“During my time in the GREAT-NS internship, I designed a molecular plating cell for the production of neodymium targets. This project allowed me to practice skills from my background as an engineering student while learning about nuclear science."

Mentor: Nicholas Esker

"My role in this project is to determine the most effective material for a silicon vertex tracker. Proper material selection for this study is based on cost effectiveness, cooling efficiency, and exceptional thermal capabilities. Improved materials can mitigate future overheating risk and improve particle tracking resolution.  In this internship, I learned the value of scientific research and its impact on the trajectory of future technology."

Mentor: Nicole Apadula

“Characterizing and learning about the SuperHeavy RECoils (SHREC) detector was very enriching and taught me a lot about what it is like to work in the Nuclear Science division. More specifically, I learned about the nature of detectors and how to analyze dead layers using software such as SRIM. During this internship, I learned lots about the topics that influence nuclear and the tools necessary to conduct science."

Mentor: Rodney Orford and Jacklyn Gates

“My role throughout the lab was to figure out the different complexes of polonium and water using our FIONA mass analyzer and residual gas analyzer. I was able to do that by using data from the analyzers and using Python programming language to create plots from those data. Not having any background in nuclear I got to learn a lot about nuclear science through lectures and guest speakers we would have throughout the program. I learned a lot about the importance of time management and collaborating with other researchers. I also got to do a lot of networking and see what other researchers do in other laboratories"

Mentors: Fatima Garcia and Jacklyn Gates

“I enhanced my coding skills and my knowledge in regards to the behavior of exotic and high energy nuclei to develop a simulation that helps optimize how our group can detect protons which will in turn help in the future with detecting gamma rays. This internship has been very rewarding as I was able to learn a lot about the world of nuclear science, something not offered at my university.”

Mentor: Heather Crawford and Carlotta Porzio

“ My project is on radiation detectors, learning how they function and how to characterize their performance. My focus has been on writing code to perform data analysis on test measurements taken with various detectors. Not having a strong background in nuclear science previously, I've learned a lot about radiation detection and measurement while using coding techniques and tools in new ways.”

Mentor: Joanna Szornel

“The project's primary goal is to obtain secondary neutron and gamma emission spectra for neutron inelastic scattering events on C-12. Specifically, I use gamma and neutron source data to obtain efficiencies and energy calibrations of HPG and organic scintillators. Through this internship, I have developed familiarity with the ROOT and Geant4 frameworks. It has further developed my understanding of nuclear reactions and detector responses, as well.”

Mentor: Bethany Goldblum and Thibault Laplace

“I am characterizing a newly developed lithium loaded scintillator which has both gamma and fast neutron detection capabilities. To measure this, the proton light yield was measured at the 88-inch cyclotron at the LBNL. A deuteron beam was aimed at a breakup neutron source which was then directed at the target lithium-loaded detector hooked up to PMTs. An array of pulse-shape-discriminating observation detectors were used to utilize coincidence and the double time of flight technique. ”

Mentor: Bethany Goldblum and Thibault Laplace 

“Through this traineeship, I focused on the development of free-standing gold targets for use in nuclear reaction studies. During my time in GREAT-NS, I was able to develop a new procedure to produce and then characterize these free-standing gold targets of various thicknesses via physical vapor deposition onto a sacrificial Teepol layer. I measured the thickness of the thin films through alpha spectroscopy by measuring the energy loss through the thin film. Working on new techniques for the development of thin films is always exciting and thanks to GREAT-NS, I’ve strengthened my understanding of nuclear science and hope to continue this research in grad school!”

Mentor: Nicholas Esker

“By utilizing the principles of electron beam deflection in the presence of a magnetic field, it is possible to develop a sensor that can accurately measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields. The displacement of the electron beam within the sensor can be directly correlated to the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field being measured.

The precise control and manipulation of the electron beam can enable the detection of even small changes in magnetic field strength, making it suitable for applications that require high sensitivity. The probe will be optimized for the characterization of insertion devices for light sources such as undulators and wigglers (in bore sizes around 3mm to 5mm).

At the current point in our project, we are testing the primary components of the assembly in a high-vacuum chamber to assess the effectiveness of the design and experiment with optimal spacing for the optical components. Current problems we are working to solve are working with small, fragile, and sensitive components that must be assembled by hand in precise orientations and spacings. We have been able to achieve good results regarding detection of the electron beam on our scintillator in the testing environment and we will continue to refine parameters of the design before we begin assembling a prototype that can operate outside of the vacuum chamber.”

Mentor:  Marcos Turqueti