Research Initiation Award: Subatomic Physics at Virginia Union University

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）研究启动奖（RIAs）为hbcu的STEM教师提供支持，让他们在自己的母校、美国国家科学基金会资助的中心、研究密集型机构或国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。在国家科学基金会的支持下，弗吉尼亚联合大学（VUU），一所私立的文科HBCU，将进行旨在理解中子结构功能的研究。该项目将通过扩大学生的研究机会和加强部门的研究基础设施来支持新建立的物理项目。这些教育和研究经验将有助于VUU扩大代表性不足群体在物理学领域的参与，并帮助学生为研究生院和国家STEM劳动力做好准备。提出的研究目标是建立一个协作实验亚原子物理程序，有助于对中子的基本理解。PI将承担慢速控制工作，对中子的基本结构进行高影响和备受期待的测量。此外，PI将比较来自带电轻子和中微子在较重目标上散射的已发表的结构功能数据，以更好地模拟原子核与电磁带电轻子和电弱探针的观察差异。具体来说，PI将为慢速控制软件开发做出贡献，这些软件用于监测和存档与计划中的近壳核子结构（BONuS12）实验中氘气体目标相关的数据。PI还将开展工作，以完善铅-82的结构功能。总的来说，这个项目将在国际亚原子物理界创造一个VUU的研究存在，并提升HBCU的地位，吸引更多的物理学生。该项目将与托马斯·杰斐逊国家加速器设施（杰斐逊实验室）合作进行。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM faculty at HBCUs to pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Virginia Union University (VUU), a private, liberal-arts HBCU, will conduct research aimed at understanding the neutron structure function. This project will support the newly-established physics programs by expanding research opportunities available to students and enhancing the department's research infrastructure. The education and research experiences will contribute to VUU's efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in physics and also help prepare students for graduate school and the Nation's STEM workforce.The goal of the proposed study is to establish a collaborative experimental subatomic physics program that contributes to the fundamental understanding of the neutron. The PI will undertake slow controls work for a high-impact and highly anticipated measurement of the fundamental structure of the neutron. In addition, the PI will compare published structure function data from charged lepton and neutrino scattering on heavier targets to better model how nuclei may be observed differently from electromagnetic charged lepton and electroweak probes. Specifically, the PI will contribute to slow controls software development necessary for monitoring and archiving data associated with the gas deuteron gas target for the planned Barely Offshell Nucleon Structure (BONuS12) experiment. The PI will also conduct work to refine the structure function for Lead-82. Overall this program will create a VUU research presence in the international subatomic physics community as well as elevate the status of this HBCU and attract more students in physics. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab).