REU Site: Neutrino Physics at Virginia Tech

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This award is funded in whole (or in part) under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The award supports a new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site in physics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech). The site will support nine undergraduate students per year for ten weeks of summer research in various projects in neutrino physics. The Center for Neutrino Physics faculty will mentor the students directly, with special emphasis on the students professional development. The program will contribute to enhancing the students' knowledge, skills, and communication capabilities in the various aspects of neutrino physics, thereby contributing to the training of skilled graduates in science essential for a fast-paced and rapidly growing technological world.There will be various projects available in a broad spectrum of research areas with a direct focus on neutrino physics, including electron/neutrino scattering experiments, the search for sterile neutrinos, phenomenology studies, long baseline optimization for DUNE and the study of the neutrino spectrum from nuclear reactors and supernovae neutrino experiments and theory. REU students will have the opportunity to pursue independent and productive activities, guided by an established team of faculty members. In addition to experiencing the excitement of front-line research, the students will develop the essential skills of a successful scientist, such as critical self evaluation and self-assessment. The program will provide them with the realistic aspects of research at graduate schools and beyond, such as the design and running of experiments, the acquisition and analysis of data, the development and testing of computer codes, the learning of appropriate mathematical/analytic techniques, the formulation of theoretical ideas, as well as the preparation of results for publications and presentations.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.