Layout of Summer Program

The program will have three distinct parts:
1. A six-week intensive course on particle physics and related skills at UH
2. A two-week hands-on laboratory experience at BNL and SURF
3. A two-semester research experience at their home institution or TPC partner.

NuPUMAS is designed as three one-year projects with a different cohort of students for each year. The program is structured to commence in the summer of 2023. The start date of the in-person summer course at UH will be between May 15th and July 1st, 2023

Six Week Course at UH


Week 1 — Experiment: Recent and Ongoing Experiments
Content coordinator: Cherdack
 Topics: 
o Neutrino Physics Experiments
o Recent developments in Neutrino Physics
o Neutrinos in Standard Model
o Searches beyond Standard Model
Week 2 — Experimental: Detectors and Instrumentation
Content coordinator: Renshaw
Topics: 
o Neutrino and dark matter detectors
o Detectors focus on scintillators and Cherenkov light
o Nobel liquid and gas detectors
Week 3 — Programming Basics Skills
Content coordinator: Cherdack
Topics: 
o Introduction to HEP computing tools
o Working with Python, C++, ROOT
o Practical examples of coding in HEP
o Making plots, curve fitting, and machine learning basics.
 Week 4 — Theory: The Standard Model
Content coordinator: Koerner
Topics: 
o Overview of particle physics
o History and Major discoveries in Particle Physics
o Basics of 4-vectors
o Fundamental Interactions and Decays
Week 5 — Applications Outside Physics
Content coordinator: Renshaw
Topics: 
o Application in computing, medicine, accelerator technology
o Application in remote sensing and nuclear non-proliferation
o Science communication training, outreach
o Student Presentation 
Week 6 — Professional Development in STEM
Content coordinator: Koerner
Topics: 
o Career paths in physics
o Presentation Skills
o Scientific writing
o Future in Neutrino Physics

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Two-Week National Lab Experience
1. Brookhaven National Laboratory

The week at BNL will consist of a series of hands-on activities. First, the students will focus on neutrino detectors and detection techniques. Next, the students will focus on software and data analysis, with hands-on tutorials on the Wire-Cell 3D event reconstruction for LArTPC, AI/ML tools in LArTPC analysis, and statistical methods in HEP.
Hands-on with neutrino detectors:
Facilities: BNL Physics Dept., BNL Chemistry Dept., BNL Instrumentation Division Topics:
o LAr cryogenics
o TPC and liquid scintillator
o water-based liquid scintillator
o cold electronics
Software and data analysis in neutrino experiments:
Facilities: BNL Physics Dept., BNL Computational Science Initiative (CSI)
Topics:
o Software frameworks
o Analysis tools
o AI/ML in physics
o Statistics 

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2. Sanford Underground Research Facility

The week at SURF will focus on the complexities of running a large underground research lab and the experiment within. The students will start with underground and lab safety training followed by tours of the surface and underground facilities. There will also be opportunities for the students to engage in outreach and community engagement through the annual Neutrino Day.
Introduction to underground physics:
Facilities: Surface Lab/ROC, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Yates/Ross Hoist Room, 4100L, 4850L Davis/Ross Campus and Science Triangle
Topics: 
o Training in underground and lab safety
o Active experiments at SURF
o Q&A with staff scientists, facilities tours
o introduction to researchers working on LZ, MJD, and CASPAR
Introduction to scientific tools, community engagement, outreach, and career development:
Facilities: 4850L Davis/Ross Campus and Science Triangle
Topics: 
o Participation in Neutrino Day (city-wide science festival)
o Participation in Science Operations Meetings
o Seminar on Python and basic data handling
o Graduate school discussion with staff scientists, outreach with concurrent programs 

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Funding

This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

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  • For details about the program, contact at the following email address:
  • ddcherdack@uh.edu
Department of Physics, University of Houston

Science and Research Building 1
3507 Cullen Blvd., Room 617
Houston, TX 77204-5005