Monthly Archives: April 2013

What the BU/CERN program meant to me

Physics students become interested in physics because they want to understand the universe and typically excel in problem solving, but do not necessarily understand the daily work that experimental particle physics entails on a day-to-day basis. Upon leaving the CERN program, some people were inspired to do particle physics, while others were dissuaded.  It was a very positive experience insofar as it really helped students discover what they wanted to do at an earlier point in their careers.  This is incredibly useful, as introductory physics courses do not typically address it. It also opened opportunities to people to pursue other, related careers. For instance, one student is now pursuing medical physics, as much of the scientific knowledge needed runs parallel to this field.

The study abroad experience was also life-enriching. Few students, particularly those in STEM fields, have the opportunity to take courses in another country and be completely immersed in another culture and language. Our courses were taught in French and we interacted with the Swiss students on a daily basis. I think many universities try to be more protective of their students-they may study abroad but not experience real immersion. We learned to adapt and acquire communication skills that many young scientists do not attain.

We also were exposed to practical skills and were able to participate in the research evolving at the time. Many of us acquired programming as well as electronics skills. We encountered common obstacles in experimental physics research and learned to overcome them. We were able to learn about a variety of scientific research topics besides simply the search for the Higgs boson. I recall once listening with fascination to Dr. Sulak’s description of the ANTARES underwater telescope in the Mediterranean, and how it could even detect bioluminescence. The entire program gave me much more perspective that I think other new physics graduate students may not necessarily have.

Some advice to future interns:

(1) Take advantage of the occasional snow-shoeing trip, etc. That one trip will not make or break your grade. Do not be like me and persist in being a workaholic while missing out on some cool life experiences. When you are 80 years old, you’ll probably remember not going on the snow-shoe trip, but you won’t remember that you got a few points off on your partial wave analysis problem set.

(2) That said, do all your homework, despite the fact that the academic culture is a bit more laid back in Europe. You need to make sure you are still in line with your peers when you get back home to the US.

(3) Try to get as many people to show you what they are doing at CERN as possible and be really proactive about talking to different people there. This is a really good chance to network.

(4) If you find that you are getting claustrophobic studying in the dorms, head to the library. There are also nice places to study at UNIMAIL on the top floors.

(5) Try to speak French as often as you can. Don’t let the fact that you are often in a large group of Americans dissuade you from trying. It can be awkward, but it is not as difficult as you may believe.

(6) For the exams: The oral exams are not prevalent in the US. Do not worry too much if one does not go as well as you hoped. There is a bit of luck involved as you have to draw a question randomly and respond on the spot. I noticed that the European students are more aware of this and take everything in stride. Still, as always, preparation is key! Just don’t be too hard on yourself if the results are not what you expected.

(7) Be aggressive and energetic about your research and try to look for interesting projects outside of your more academic work. In other words, use Larry Sulak as your role model!

What the BU/CERN program meant to me

The Boston University Geneva Physics Program was incredibly meaningful to me. Since I attend a liberal arts school, my semester as part of the program was my first to focus entirely on physics, and I joyfully soaked up all the physics knowledge I could. Luckily, I found that CERN was full of many incredibly brilliant people who enjoyed explaining their work to a curious student. I worked as part of the Antihydrogen Experiment: Gravity, Interferfometry, Spectroscopy (AEGIS) collaboration. I fabricated scintillator detectors and took part in AEGIS’s first beam time. It was my first experience with a running experiment, and it was exhilarating. I acquired many new research skills associated with the work I did. In addition, participating in an international collaboration afforded me the opportunity to meet many physicists and engineers from across the globe. Watching the team leaders of AEGIS in action also gave me the opportunity to learn about effective leadership of a diverse, international team. The independence my mentor gave me, in addition to the structure of the courses at the University of Geneva, taught me that self-motivation is a necessity in order to do meaningful work. In short, I could not have asked for a better experience as part of the BU/CERN program!
Next year, I will begin pursuing my Ph.D. in physics at the University of Pennsylvania. I’m still deciding between research in experimental cosmology and high energy physics. Regardless of what I choose, I know that my experience as part of the BU/CERN program will provide me a solid foundation on which to build my career in physics.
Please contact me (alyssabarlis@gmail.com) if you have any questions about the program!
Alyssa Barlis

What the BU/CERN program meant to me

The BU Geneva Physics Program offered me a wealth of opportunities. As a student from a small liberal arts college, I did not have any previous experience working with a large collaboration of physicists, let alone at an institution solely dedicated to one subfield of physics. I greatly enjoyed doing research on ATLAS, learning a lot from my professor and the other students in the group. I fell in love with CERN and with experimental particle physics. I gained critical research skills as well a greater sense of confidence in my abilities as a physicist, both of which I needed at this time in my life to be able to continue on in the field. This program was instrumental in shaping my career path; I will be starting graduate school in the fall at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a Ph.D. in physics and working with the JHU CMS group . I cannot imagine a better way to have spent Spring 2012 and I hope that this opportunity is available to undergraduates for years to come.

I’d be more than happy to answer any questions about the program at aas1@williams.edu.

Alice Sady

What the BU/CERN program meant to me

Larry asked us to quickly respond to the prompt: “What the BU/CERN program meant to me”. Here is a brief response.

During my time in the BU/CERN physics program I participated in the R&D of the Electron Muon Ranger (EMR) for the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE). I was tasked with testing and analyzing the performance of 217 old photomultiplier tubes. I helped in the construction of a cosmically-calibrated test bench, and later wrote code to analyze and interpret the data that we collected. A summary of the work I performed is included in an internal MICE note (http://mice.iit.edu/micenotes/public/pdf/MICE0383/MICE0383.pdf). As a MICE collaborator, I learned how to utilize experimental techniques such as analog to digital conversion, data acquisition, and use of an oscilloscope.

The BU/CERN physics program was an overwhelmingly positive experience for me. As a participant in program, I was able to attend many CERN conferences and colloquia (including the Higgs discovery seminar). This gave me a good sense of the world of high energy physics research. I became privy to the field’s jargon, and learned much about the process of experimentation for high energy physics. This stimulated an intense interest in the field.

Though I am currently searching for jobs that will make use of the skills I gained in Geneva and subsequently, I have not lost my zeal for high energy physics. After I have gained some more working experience, I aspire to pursue graduate studies in the field.

If any current or prospective participants in the program have any questions,  I can be reached at lievens@bu.edu.

– Daniel Lievens