This award supports the renewal of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program coordinated by the University of Michigan offering research experiences at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN). The LHC is currently taking data and research results are already beginning to emerge. The research at CERN represents the frontier for experimental high energy physics for several decades to come. Students working on LHC focused problems at CERN experience an intellectual apprenticeship and learn to understand the nature of international scientific collaboration and the questions and methods of modern physics. The undergraduate students will spend nine 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. 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.
