Mark Yuly DUE 9550949 Northwest Nazarene College FY1995 $ 15,755 Nampa, ID 83686 ILI - Instrumentation Project: Physics Title: A computerized nuclear and particle physics laboratory for undergraduates This project will provide physics students at Northwest Nazarene College with hands-on experience using modern, computer controlled apparatus to perform meaningful measurements in nuclear and particle physics. This goal meshes well with the pedagogical method supported by the entire science division of requiring a strong research component as part of the curriculum. In addition to experiments for the sophomore-level physics laboratory, two experiments are proposed which would be part of a Junior/Senior Research Program, in which students work one-on-one on research projects with a professor. The program presented has been carefully designed for a small department with limited resources. There are several reasons for selecting particle physics experiments for this program. Particle physics is one of the frontier areas of modern physics research, yet experiments of this type are not usually part of the undergraduate laboratory curriculum. These experiments offer one of the few opportunities students have for observing first-hand the effects of relativity. By providing students with practical and up-to-date experience using modern, fast electronic and computerized data acquisition and analysis, we hope to give them the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a career in any branch of experimental physics.
