Session DM: Mini-symposium: Inspiring the Next Generation Through Nuclear Research I

Diversifying the Nuclear Physics Workforce: A Dream Or A Reality?

Historically, people from minoritized and marginalized ethnic/racial groups have been underrepresented in the U.S. nuclear physics community. To address this shortcoming, the U.S. Department of Energy recently proposed a paradigm shift to facilitate unique collaborations between higher education institutions and/or national facilities, and Minority Serving Institutions. The primary goal of this effort is to recruit and retain undergraduate students from marginalized and minoritized ethnic/racial groups to consider careers in basic or applied professions in nuclear physics by providing targeted environments ranging from research opportunities (e.g., traineeships) to dedicated undergraduate nuclear physics tracks, and mentoring. The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams of Michigan State University established the Institute for Nuclear Science to Inspire the Next Generation of a Highly Trained workforce (INSIGHT) to assist in coordinating this nationwide effort, including an overall assessment across all awardees. A review on the components and present status of this initiative will be presented and discussed.   

Growing representation in nuclear physics in Eastern TN

We recruited a cohort of 10 undergraduates from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to participate in nuclear physics (NP) research in Eastern Tennessee (ET) as part of the new NPET Fellowship Program.  The program balances mentorship from leaders in their fields with professional development and networking workshops throughout the year.  Through the activities of the program, the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) Physics and Astronomy Department and  Oak  Ridge  National  Laboratory  (ORNL)  have partnered  to  develop  the  physics  identity  and feelings of belonging and will improve the retention of under-represented minority (URM) students in the field.  This talk will present year one outcomes and discuss changes for year two of the program. 

    

The BNL-MSI Fellowship Program for Research Excellence and Preparation in Nuclear Physics (PREP-NP)

The BNL-MSI Fellowship Program for Research Excellence and Preparation in Nuclear Physics, (PREP-NP) is a collaboration between Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to serve as a bridge for under-represented undergraduate students to graduate school in Nuclear Physics or other STEM careers. The program is a part of the DOE NP Traineeship pilot program. It is administered by Brookhaven National Lab's Office of Educational Programs and the Nuclear and Particle Physics Directorate. The PREP-NP Fellowship pairs upper-class students interested in a career in physics with Faculty Advisors and BNL Scientists to collaborate on a Nuclear Physics research project over a two-year term. The opportunity to do cutting-edge research at BNL, along with the intense, holistic mentoring provided by scientists and professors, form the foundation of the program. The program started in the Summer of 2021. We present the results from this first cohort, as well as lessons learned from our experience so far.   

Texas Research Expanding Nuclear Diversity

A new workforce development program in Texas has completed its first spring semester and summer with the initial cohort of students. Sponsored by the DOE Office of Science, seven undergraduates from four Minority-Serving Institutions (Texas A&M University, Prairie View A&M University, Texas Lutheran University and the University of Texas at El Paso) began working remotely with PIs from the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University (TAMU) with the support of local mentors during the spring semester. They have spent the summer continuing these research projects in person, in conjunction with other undergraduate researchers at TAMU. We will be able to support the students in their research projects for up to two years. Some of the unique opportunities and challenges presented by this program will be discussed.   

NuSTEAM - Nuclear Science in Texas to Enhance and Advance Minorities

The NuSTEAM program is a collaborative effort by four Texas-based universities that offer an undergraduate traineeship project under the guidelines of the Department of Energy TBD-NP (Research Traineeships to Broaden and Diversify the Nuclear Physics community) initiative. The collaboration consists of the University of Houston (UH), University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, University of Texas – El Paso and Prairie View A&M University.

In its first year, the program supported eight undergraduate students selected from those universities. Nine students are being supported in the second year. The student's training begins with a six-week summer course at UH, followed by two weeks of hands-on experience in the laboratory environment at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Upon returning to their home institutions, the program allows the students to work on selected research topics during the Fall and Spring semesters.

In this talk, I will discuss the curriculum of the program and the experiences we had. I will present the metrics applied to determine student success, and I will discuss the future of this and other related federally-funded programs.