Texas Plasma Physics Undergraduate Workshop; May, 2020; College Station, Texas

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This award will support organization of and student participation in the first Texas Plasma Physics Undergraduate Workshop to be held in May, 2020, at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. The workshop will be tailored towards historically Under-Represented Minority (HURMs) undergraduate students from across the State of Texas who have just finished their sophomore year in Physics, Engineering or other related discipline. The main purpose of this workshop will be the exposure of the students to the field of plasma physics, as well as to the variety of plasma physics research occurring in various institutions within the State, aiming ultimately towards retention of these students in plasma science and engineering research. The educational component of the proposed plasma physics workshop will be performed in collaboration with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s Science Education Department, which has long and successful experience in organizing similar educational workshops. The students who will participate in the workshop will become familiar with both fundamental and applied aspects of plasma science. Attending scientific workshops is an important educational experience for students that cannot be replicated at individual home institutions. The students will be provided with opportunities to expand their networks, to learn about cutting edge research in the broader field of plasma science and engineering, and to develop and put to practice their professional communication skills. This award provides funds to partially support organization of this workshop, as well as support for travel, lodging and meals for the workshop’s participants, who will be sophomore students, currently enrolled in 4-year Physics and Engineering programs in Texas institutions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.