Michigan State University in East Lansing is hosting the summer 2018 session of the U.S. Particle Accelerator School (USPAS), a national graduate-level training and workforce development program in accelerator science and engineering. The program is funded by the Office of High Energy Physics, which is in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC).
Particle accelerators are used in discovery science, medicine, and high-tech industry.
This is the third time MSU has hosted USPAS. More than 130 students from around the world are attending this intensive, two-week session of USPAS, which includes nine courses. Nine of the 22 instructors are from MSU and are experts in accelerator physics, ion source physics, and cryogenic engineering. They are affiliated with the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, MSU’s physics and astronomy department, and MSU’s mechanical engineering department.
FRIB, a future DOE-SC scientific user facility supporting the mission of the Nuclear Physics Office in DOE-SC, is under construction at MSU. Once complete, it will enable scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes. FRIB provides hands-on opportunities to train the next-generation accelerator science and engineering workers.
“MSU has been a superb host of USPAS,” says Steve Lund, FRIB physics professor and USPAS director. “Courses are taking place in unique facilities on campus and the departments have sent many talented students and have provided a high level of instructor and grader support.”
Since 1981, USPAS has been recognized for excellence. The school is intended to meet the needs of national laboratories and educate people to develop particle accelerators for use in other fields.
USPAS sessions take place in June and January. Students are from laboratories, private companies, government, and the military.
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