The Department of Physics of the University of Michigan will administer a Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. The program will support 15 students recruited from large and small institutions across the US. The students will spend 8-9 weeks at CERN participating in research projects, attending a physics lecture series and interacting with European scientists and science students. The program orientation contains components designed to help them learn how to live in Geneva, instruction in computing, seminars on physics and ethics along with tours of the CERN experiments. It ends with a Saturday day trip to BERN to visit the small Einstein museum. The students will gather frequently to give talks about their research activities, learning about the protocols and techniques of physics presentations. Each day they also work with assigned mentors on current physics problems. An onsite Coordinator is present at CERN to assist the students with any matters related to program or personal needs. Each student must give a final talk on their accomplishments and participate in the program evaluation. CERN is one of the top international Laboratories in the world. The students at CERN participate in the day-to-day experimental development associated with their research group, deepening their understanding of the relevant physics. They attend a lecture series organized by CERN and presented by top scientists in the area. The work that the students do is an important part of the ongoing physics at CERN, whether they work on an anti-matter experiment like ATRAP or ATHENA or work on detector design and construction for groups like ATLAS and CMS. Being in the international research atmosphere of CERN and working on cutting edge problems is an intellectual apprenticeship that produces a student who understands the nature of international scientific collaboration and is able to function effectively in a collaborative environment. This award is co-funded by the Division of Physics and the Office of International Science and Engineering.
