RUI: Fundamental and Applied Nuclear Physics with Undergraduates

美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）向希望学院核小组（在Paul DeYoung博士和Graham Peaslee博士的指导下）授予了本科院校研究（RUI）资助，以支持未来三年的各种研究生研究项目。 研究活动将集中在了解远离稳定的不稳定核的性质，这对于理解基本核力，模拟超新星中重元素的形成以及测试各种核理论和模型至关重要。 此外，我们将开发新的应用核物理技术的问题在其他科学领域，这可能导致有价值的新的科学信息在这些领域。 让本科生参与到所有这些工作中来，既能教育他们，又能让他们兴奋，还能为毕业后的工作做大量的准备。具体来说，霍普学院核小组目前正在计划表征几种放射性原子核的结构，包括16Be、13Li、5H和9C。 这些研究将在国家超导回旋加速器与模块化中子阵列（莫纳）和圣母大学与ND中子墙。 在霍普学院离子束分析实验室，核小组将使用核散射和X射线光谱法，沿着加速器和探测器技术来确定金属蛋白质的化学计量，表征玻璃的微量元素成分，并确定沙粒的地质来源。卢瑟福背散射也将用于表征电聚合物和传导，凝胶中蛋白质片段的原位测量。本科生将参与实验的各个方面：计划，检测器开发，实验设置，数据采集，分析和传播。该补助金还将为博士后助理提供支持，作为培养未来研究人员的试验努力的一部分，这些研究人员可以有效地让本科生参与到初级本科机构的设置中。**

A Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) grant has been awarded to theHope College Nuclear Group (under the direction of Dr. Paul DeYoung and Dr.Graham Peaslee) by the National Science Foundation to support a variety ofundergraduate research projects for the next three years. The researchactivities will center on understanding the properties of unstable nuclei farfrom stability, which are essential for understanding the fundamental nuclearforce, modeling the formation of heavy elements in supernovae, and testing awide variety of nuclear theories and models. In addition, we will bedeveloping novel applications of nuclear physics techniques to questions inother scientific fields, which can lead to valuable new scientific informationin these areas. Involving undergraduate students in all of these effortseducates them, excites them, and gives them tremendous preparation forgraduate work.Specifically the Hope College Nuclear Group currently is planning tocharacterize the structure of several radioactive nuclei, including 16Be,13Li, 5H, and 9C. These studies will be done at the National SuperconductingCyclotron with the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) and the University of NotreDame with the ND neutron wall. At the Hope College Ion Beam AnalysisLaboratory, the nuclear group will use nuclear scattering and x-rayspectrometry along with accelerator and detector technology to determinemetalloprotein stoichiometry, to characterize the trace-element constituentsof glass, and to determine the geological provenance of sand grains.Rutherford backscattering will also be used to characterize electropolymersand conduct in-situ measurements of protein fragments in gels.Undergraduate students will participate in all aspects of the experiments:planning, detector development, experiment setup, data taking, analysis, anddissemination. This grant will also provide support for a postdoctoralassociate as part of a trial effort to train future researchers that caneffectively involve undergraduate students in the setting of a primarilyundergraduate institution.**