This award provides partial support for US students and lecturers to attend the second "Biennial African School on Fundamental Physics and its Applications" to be held in KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, from July 15 to August 4, 2012. There will be three main topics at the school: 1) theoretical physics, 2) experimental sub-atomic physics and 3) accelerators and technologies. The contents will be aimed primarily at doctoral students and on students finishing their last year of university studies, but young researchers will also be encouraged to apply. This school will serve as an opportunity for US students and professional physicists to interact with their counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa and to form collaborations and partnerships. The program is supported jointly by NSF Division of Physics, through its programs in Elementary Particle Physics Experiment and Theory, and the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering through its Global Venture Fund.
This NSF grant was used for partial support of the 2nd Biennial School of Fundamental Physics and its Application, held in Kumasi, Ghana July 15 -August 8, 2012. This is the only school of its type in sub-Saharan Africa and this second school follows on the successful 2010 school held in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The aim of the school is to contribute to capacity building in Africa by harvesting, interpreting and exploring the results of current and future physics experiments with particle accelerators, and increasing proficiency in related applications and technologies. There were four main topics in the school: theoretical fundamental physics, experimental subatomic physics, information technology and grid computing, and accelerators an applied technologies. A total of 50 students participated in ASP2012, with 49 of them selected from 14 African countries. The African students had their transportation, accommodation and meals fully funded. Approximately 22% of the students were female. In order to maintain contact with the students, an email group was set up through CERN and a social networking Facebook page was created to share news and information. This has proven to be extremely helpful in communicating interesting physics news to the students and in getting updates on their evolving career paths. The email list includes participants from both teh 2010 and 2012 schools. The contribution from the NSF allowed US lecturers to travel to this school and to share their expertise in high energy, nuclear and accelerator physics with the students.
