Diane Portugal Syracuse University, class of 2020 As       an       undergraduate       seeking       rewarding laboratory    experience,    the    HEP    research    group was   a   great   place   to   start.   I   mainly   played   a   role   in the    fabrication    of    carbon    foam    strips.    Carbon foam   is   a   sturdy   yet   lightweight   material   which   we coat   in   a   thin   layer   of   epoxy   and   trim   down   to exact    specifications.    These    strips    are    eventually epoxied   one   by   one   to   each   individual   stave   and shipped   out   to   Geneva   to   be   attached   to   the   third tracker   of   the   LHC.   While   this   is   but   a   small   part   in a   colossal   project,   it's   still   exciting   to   know   that   I'm making   a   necessary   contribution   to   what   might be    one    of    the    greatest    breakthroughs    of    this century. The   best   part   about   the   position   is   that   you   aren't simply    assigned    mindless    and    tedious    tasks-- you're   encouraged   to   delve   deeper   into   the   how's and     why's     of     everything     you     do.     Professor Mountain   supplied   us   with   an   arsenal   of   readings on   the   fundamentals   of   High   Energy   Physics   and the    LHCb    project    in    particular    that    we    were allowed   to   peruse   at   our   own   leisure.   In   addition, he    organized    several    lectures    led    by    Sheldon Stone,   Marina   Artuso,   and   Steven   Blusk   to   iron out    any    questions    we    might    have    had.    And    of course,    questions    were    welcomed    at    any    time, even   outside   of   lectures.   I   feel   that   I   gained   as much   as   I   put   into   this   experience.   In   just   seven short   weeks,   working   in   HEP   has   developed   my skills    in    leadership,    collaboration,    efficiency    in decision     making,     and     Excel.     As     of     now,     I'm planning to continue my work in the Fall.  

Markus Sprenger University of Cincinnati, class of 2019 During   my   two   and   a   half   month   stay   at   Syracuse, I    aided    the    UT    project.    I    learned    how    to    use multiple    tools    as    well    as    various    properties    of unique    materials,    such    as    carbon    foam.    The knowledge   that   I   gained   from   former   classes   was used    to    solve    problems    such    as    if    the    carbon facing    would    retain    its    suction    to    the    vacuum plate if the plate were to be turned upside down. The    work    environment    was    friendly    and    those present    were    more    than    willing    to    answer    any questions   that   I   had.      Also,   any   issues   that   may have   arisen   were   quickly   taken   care   of   and   solved by   either   the   students   present   or   by   a   professor. The     work     environment     was     clean     and     well equipped   even   though   it   may   have   been   lacking table space at times.

Rajpreet Kaur University of Cincinnati, class of 2020 I     spent     my     summer     at     Syracuse     University working    on    the    construction    of    staves.    I    was working   with   three   other   undergrad   students   and one   grad   student   which   was   itself   so   much   fun.      I spent   most   of   my   time   working   on   the   different components   of   the   staves   such   as   carbon   foam,     Rohacell,   carbon   facings,   etc.      Carbon   foam   strips had   to   be   epoxied,   trimmed   and   measured   after each     step     before     it     could     be     used     in     the construction   of   a   full   stave.      Rohacell   sheets   were cut   into   squares   and   thicknesses   were   recorded.     Carbon      facings      were      inspected      thoroughly, weighed   and   were   cut   into   the   exact   lengths.      We also    got    the    opportunity    to    work    on    the    full staves     in     the     last     couple     of     weeks     of     our internship. Different     lectures     were     given     by     professors working    on    the    UT    tracker    to    undergraduate students   to   give   them   an   idea   of   what   they   were doing.        I    personally    liked    to    attend    the    weekly meetings      where      everybody      discussed      their progresses    on    their    projects.    During    my    time working,    I    got    the    opportunity    to    interact    with many   other   grad   students   working   on   different projects    which    I    believe    was    really    wonderful.      They    not    only    motivated    me    to    do    more    and more   physics,   but   also   helped   me   realize   what kind of physics I wanted to do. 

Charles F. Keppler   Syracuse University, class of 2018 Aerospace Engineering, Physics, and Applied Mathematics major I   started   my   work   with   the   HEP   group   way   back   in the   old   2010s.      2017   to   be   exact.      July   of   2017.      I’ve been   working   there   for   about   a   month   now.   I’ve been    tasked    with    various    things    around    the group.    I’ve    worked    with    both    the    Carbon    and Rohacell   foam---cutting   and   measuring.   I’ve   also made   a   few   things   to   improve   the   workings   of   the group,    which    include    a    stencil    mount    for    an ultrasonic   acetone   bath,   and   a   template   to   record epoxy    usage    and    quality.    Further,    I’ve    made epoxy   and   used   it   to   help   construct   portions   of staves that the group is building. In   doing   so,   I’ve   learned   quite   a   bit.   From   general things   like   how   to   work   in   a   clean   room,   to   more specific    things    like    the    importance    of    record keeping   and   extensive   measuring.   We’re   working with   tolerances   of   around   25   microns,   so   proper measurements   and   handling   must   be   considered. I    also    have    learned    about    the    structure    of    big projects    and    how    the    big    picture    breaks    down into     literally     thousands     of     smaller     pictures. Further,   Ray   always   likes   to   chime   in   with   either some     useful     information     about     the     project, certain      methodologies,      or      just      interesting information.   I   can   look   back   on   the   past   month now   and   really   see   the   difference   working   here has   made   on   my   understanding   of   the   field   and ultimately    of    what    I    want    to    be    doing    after    I graduate.

Emily Syracuse Syracuse University, class of 2019 Physics major Working   the   with   the   HEP   group   has   been   a   great experience,     added     to     that     of     taking     physics classes here at Syracuse. I   have   had   the   opportunity   to   do   more   hands-on work      with      physics,      like      learning      different techniques    for    measuring    what    seems    to    be difficult    items    at    first,    and    to    push    what    I    was taught   in   a   classroom   and   directly   apply   it.   I   have been   taught   how   to   use   different   instruments   I've never   seen   before,   and   have   the   opportunity   to ask   "why".   Why   am   I   measuring   this?   Why   is   this being    done    to    make    the    stave?    And    so    on.    In doing   so,   not   only   have   I   learned   various   hands- on    techniques,    but    also    more    and    more    about particle physics and the goals of the HEP group.  This   experience   has   really   given   me   the   chance   to expand    my    education    in    physics,    and    knowing what   I'm   doing   here   is   part   of   something   much larger     makes     it     all     the     more     an     enjoyable experience,    along    with    an    eye    opening    one    to another    part    of    physics    not    always    shown    in    a strictly classroom setting.   

Eric Bloomfield Syracuse University, class of 2019 Working   as   a   research   assistant   on   the   UT   tracker for   the   LHCb   this   past   summer   has   been   the   most valuable   working   experience   I   have   ever   done.   I learned   from   my   coworkers,   I   learned   how   what   I have   already   learned   in   physics   can   be   applied   to an   experiment   as   well   as   many   valuable   skills   that I   can   take   with   me   to   future   jobs   and   ultimately   a career. Working     full     time     this     past     summer,     I     was constantly     in     an     environment     filled     with     like minded   individuals.   Being   still   fairly   new   to   the field    of    physics,    I    found    myself    surrounded    by people    who    have    similar    interests    on    a    more advanced   level   which   enabled   me   to   learn   about how    the    physics    classes    I    have    taken    can    be applied    to    a    real    life    experiment    as    well    as showed   me   how   many   different   things   need   to   be considered   when   constructing   an   experiment   of this     magnitude     such     as     relativity,     quantum mechanics     as     well     as     fundamental     laws     of physics. I    also    learned    many    valuable    skills    that    don’t necessarily    pertain    to    physics.    For    example,    I learned   how   to   work   as   member   of   a   team   more effectively.    Almost    no    tasks    were    only    for    one person   so   I   found   myself   constantly   collaborating with    others    to    complete    tasks    as    efficiently    as possible.   There   were   also   tasks   I   had   to   complete that   can   be   applied   to   physics   but   could   also   be applied     to     a     much     broader     work     field.     For example,     I     certainly     did     a     fair     amount     of measuring,   weighing   and   constructing   as   well   as following   various   procedures   and,   being   that   it   is a   clean   room,   cleaning.   All   of   which   are   skills   that could   potentially   be   applied   to   a   wider   variety   of disciplines. This    summer    I    finally    dipped    my    toes    into    the world   of   physics   outside   the   classroom.   I   learned much    about    how    the    laws    of    physics    I    have learned   are   applied   to   real   experiments   as   well   as learned    many    valuable    aspects    to    working    in    a professional   environment   as   a   part   of   a   team.   I look    forward    to    continuing    my    work    on    the upstream   tracker   and   learning   more   with   every work day.

Jeffrey Frelier SUNY ESF, class of 2018 This   summer   I   was   very   fortunate   to   find   a   great opportunity   working   as   a   research   assistant   for the   high   energy   physics   group.   Much   of   my   time at   work   this   summer   was   spent   designing   and/or building   components   for   a   clean   room.   We   would later   be   using   this   clean   room   to   build   staves   that will     ultimately     be     installed     on     the     particle acceleration.   Throughout   the   summer   I   gained   a lot   of   experience   working   in   the   machine   shop   in the    sub-basement    of    the    physics    building.    The first    and    biggest    project    that    I    worked    on    this summer    was    designing    and    building    a    cabinet made   mostly   of   t-frame   and   acrylic   that   will   be used   to   hang   these   staves.   I   have   since   worked   on a   number   of   other   projects,   including   ice   box   test that    we    will    use    to    test    electronics,    structural analysis     of     the     stave,     particle     count     test     to measure   the   quality   of   the   clean   room   and   stave construction. In   each   of   these   projects   posed   unique   challenges and   I   have   learned   many   valuable   skills   that   will undoubtedly   be   useful   in   my   career   outside   of physics.     I’ve     learned     skills     involving     reading technical    drawings,    machining    (both    numerical control        and        some        computer        numerical controlled),    error    propagation,    working    in    excel sheets,   designing   etc.   Working   on   this   project   has given    me    the    opportunity    to    learn    skills    that    I couldn’t    in    a    classroom    setting.    In    my    opinion some   of   the   most   valuable   skills   I’ve   gained   are working/communicating    effectively    with    others and   understanding   how   to   overcome   unexpected problems.  

Joe Kulikowski SUNY ESF, class of 2020 Environmental Resource Engineering major, Physics minor, Math minor Working     with     the     HEP     group     at     Syracuse university   has   proved   to   be   more   than   a   job,   but one   of   the   best   learning   experiences   of   my   life. Learning    started    upon    initial    hire,    I    was    given background   material   of   what   the   HEP   group   was doing.   My   first   few   months   working   in   the   HEP group,     I     learned     the     importance/contents     of metrology      analysis      and      it’s      importance      to managing   manufacturing   processes,   was   taught how     to     mill     parts     with     precision     to     given dimensions,     and     most     importantly,     how     to approach   a   task   with   critical   thinking   and   devise   a structured way to solve such a task. All,   but   not   limited   to   the   aforementioned,   add   up to a work experience with purpose and passion.  

Ifeanyi Uwanaka Syracuse University, class of 2019 During    the    course    of    my    work    with    the    High Energy    Experimental    Physics    Group,    I    was    very involved   in   designing   and   creating   parts   for   the UT    Tracker,    such    as    the    vacuum    plate    and    the tools   we   used   to   create   it,   while   still   keeping   the environment sterile. I   learned   a   lot   about   the   purpose   and   scope   of our   research.      I   akso   learned   about   the   various processes   and   requirements   to   maintain   the   state of a clean room What   I   enjoyed   the   most   was   using   the   various equipment   in   lab   because   it   diversified   my   weekly tasks.    

Chris Kane SUNY ESF, class of 2019 I   have   worked   for   the   LHCb   group   at   Syracuse University    for    a    little    more    than    1.5    years.    My initial    work    involved    becoming    acquainted    with the     setup     and     laboratory     methods     including taking   and   analyzing   data   from   SALT,   soldering   to PCBs,   using   an   oscilloscope,   and   understanding how   SALT   works,   among   others.   I   was   developing fundamental     skills     used     across     the     field     of experimental    physics.    For    my    first    independent project    I    was    tasked    with    creating    a    PCB    that would   convert   a   USB   signal   to   an   I2C   signal   and vice   versa.      I   became   familiar   with   the   the   ideas   of inductance   matching,   pull-up   resistors,   electrical clocks,     I2C     signals,     and     the     Altium     design software.   My   next   project   was   to   design   a   Time   to Digital    Converter    using    an    FPGA    in    order    to measure     the     timing     of     radiation     being     sent through   the   silicon   detectors.   I   learned   how   to use   the   firmware   language   VHDL   as   well   as   the basics   of   how   FPGAs   work.   I   used   an   oscilloscope extensively    to    diagnose    issues    with    the    relative timing    of    the    clocks    in    the    TDC.    For    my    most recent   project   I   was   tasked   with   designing   a   PCB to   allow   testing   of   the   hybrid   ASIC   setup   using   a beam   of   particles.   I   became   much   more   skilled using    the    Altium    software    and    learned    about cooling systems used in experiments. Throughout   my   time   here,   I   was   always   allowed ample   independence   which   I   enjoyed.   For   each new    task,    my    research    advisor,    Jianchun    Wang (JC),   would   provide   me   a   necessary   background   to get   started   and   let   me   work   at   my   own   pace.   If   I forgot    something    or    encountered    a    something new,     he     would     again     provide     me     with     the information   necessary   to   move   forward.   If   JC   was not   around,   I   could   go   to   any   other   faculty   in   the group   and   they   would   gladly   help   out   however they   could.      If   I   ever   made   a   mistake,   there   was   no blame    or    pointing    fingers.    I    would    be    told    the proper    technique    or    procedure,    the    problem would    be    corrected,    and    we    moved    on.    The environment    is    such    that    the    undergrads    can perform    meaningful    work    as    well    as    become trained   so   as   to   become   part   of   the   upcoming generation of physicists.   

Daniel Harari Syracuse University, class of 2017 Over   the   summer   of   2017   I   worked   with   the   High Energy      Particle      Physics      group      at      Syracuse University.    My    primary    responsibilities    included working    on    testing    environments    for    the    new ASIC   hybrid   board   as   well   as   populating   the   board with   the   necessary   circuit   elements.   The   first   few weeks      of      work      revolved      primarily      around familiarizing   myself   with   the   LHCb   detector   and the    testing    programs    and    models    used    by    the graduate   students   and   professor   in   charge   of   the electronics.   This   included   familiarizing   myself   with Emacs      as      well      as      Linux      commands      and navigation.    Once    Professor    JC    Wang    returned from    his    time    in    Geneva,    I    began    familiarizing myself       with       High-Density       Surface       Mount soldering.     The     new     hybrid     board     had     been ordered   without   any   components   attached   and would   require   me   to   put   resistors,   capacitors,   and ports onto the board. The    biggest    challenge    was    perfecting    hot    air soldering.   Ahead   of   time,   I   was   aware   that   I   would have   to   use   a   heat   gun   to   attach   a   high-density port   onto   the   board.   This   connection   had   to   be almost   perfect   as   a   short   would   result   in   incorrect test     results.     After     several     trials,     I     eventually mastered    HDSM    and    populated    two    complete boards.     Once     assembled     I     was     tasked     with constructing   a   styrofoam   box   that   would   allow   us to   test   the   hybrid   under   actual   cooling   conditions. While   in   the   LHCb,   a   version   of   the   system   I   had built   would   be   cooled   to   -10°C.   This   version   of those   electronics   needed   to   be   run   at   a   similar temperature     to     demonstrate     that     the     circuit would   operate   normally   under   cooling   conditions. This   involved   building   both   a   supporting   structure for    the    circuit    as    well    as    understanding    the cooling    elements    called    Peltiers    that    I    would implement     to     cool     the     board.     With     some difficulty,   I   managed   to   get   the   box   down   to   the desired      -10°C      but      with      some      room      for improvement.    Looking    forward    I    will    begin    to design    and    assemble    a    more    effective    cooling container.  

Victor Cannestro Syracuse University, class of 2017 Through   working   with   the   HEP   group,   I've   gained fluency   in   Python   and   worked   on   the   following projects: •      Analyzed      SmartScope      output      files      using nonlinear      least      squares      methods,      regular expressions,     data     structures,     and     functional programming   with   Numpy   and   Scipy   to   address discrepancies in fabrication. •     Visualized     the     distribution     of     a     fabricated sample’s       radii,       path       length,       and       center coordinates   with   histograms   and   scatterplots   to prompt      the      need      for      better      construction techniques. •        Built    surface    graphs    from    many    data    points taken from fabricated metal pieces I've   liked   the   computational   projects   I've   had   the opportunity    to    work    on    and    autonomy    that's come     with     them.     I     believe     I've     grown     more mature   as   an   aspiring   scientist,   because   of   the example and tutelage of my mentors at Syracuse.