Looking back at SuSi 2024: Students from SNOLAB’s new summer lectureship program share their experiences
August 28, 2024
— Events
SNOLAB concluded the inaugural edition of a new summer training and development program, SuSi (SNOLAB Underground Science Institute), on the 16th of August, 2024.
SuSi was a pilot lectureship aimed at training and developing the next generation of scientists while drawing the world’s talent to SNOLAB and Sudbury. The SuSi program supports SNOLAB’s strategic goal to drive innovation in underground science by creating an intellectual hub that fosters learning and collaboration. The program was designed for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers.
The SuSi 2024 program focused on three topics: the dark cosmos, neutrino science, and quantum technology. Dr. Aaron Vincent of Queen’s University and Dr. José Maneira of LIP delivered lectures on dark universe and neutrino science, respectively. Dr. Nicola McConkey of Queen Mary University of London and Dr. Seb Jones of University College London delivered lectures on Quantum Technology.
SuSi 2024 offered its participants several professional development opportunities through workshops to enhance their science communication, writing and networking skills, social media competency, and understanding of project management. The attendees of SuSi 2024 also had the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Tri-Institute Summer School on Elementary Particles (TRISEP) which was hosted by SNOLAB this year.
Students of SuSi 2024
David Sadek is a physics Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics at the University of Florida and is a member of the SuperCDMS collaboration.
“SuperCDMS or Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search uses state-of-the-art technology to detect dark matter. A substrate made of Silicon or Germanium, the target for dark matter interaction, is covered with a superconducting sensor called the Transition-Edge Sensor (TES). The detector is kept at extremely low temperatures and very deep underground to have as low background noise as possible. When dark matter interacts with the target, it will deposit some energy that reaches the TES and heats it up. This will cause the properties of the sensor to change as it depends on temperature. My research involves understanding and modeling the change in the sensor behavior in response to dark matter interactions.“
David became interested in physics when he was in high school. He was fascinated by Einstein’s work on relativity and decided to pursue physics for his undergraduate degree.“I always found joy and excitement in understanding things at a fundamental level. So, physics was the perfect field for me. People tried to discourage me, but I was adamant about what I wanted to do and here I am now.”
David became interested in dark matter research during his undergraduate degree. “I started working on the SuperCDMS experiment because it is pushing the limits of dark matter search with its ability to detect particles of a certain cross-section and mass. We are searching in a parameter space that has never been reached before. Therefore, it is very exciting and holds a lot of promise.”
David, who learned about SuSi through his SuperCDMS collaborators was full of praise for summer school, “This summer has been a very rich experience. In many aspects, I was pushed to my limits, and it has allowed me to grow. Going forward, I will apply the things I have learned in terms of professional development from SuSi to building my public profile as a researcher. “ After SuSi, David wants to focus on completing his Ph.D. thesis but hopes to continue working in dark matter research.
Shane Meister is a first-year Master of Science in Physics student at the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, & Astronomy at Queen’s University.
“I am a part of the PICO collaboration that is doing research on the existing PICO-40L dark matter detector. We are also working on the construction of the next-generation PICO-500 detector.” These detectors are bubble chambers and produce bubbles in response to interactions with subatomic particles.
“After running the detectors and collecting data for a few years, we will sort out which bubbles were created by known particles and which were created by theoretical candidates for a dark matter particle”
Shane’s curiosity to learn more about natural phenomena led him to physics. “I developed a love for thinking about many topics and how they interconnect: rhythm, aesthetics, symmetry, mathematics, patterns, creativity, problem-solving, harmony, design, and logic. As a result, my three main passions became music, architecture, and physics. I started school in architecture and did that as a career for about ten years. However, I went back to school to be able to study and work in fundamental physics instead of having it as a hobby. After graduating from Queen’s, I hope to work on PICO-500 for my Ph.D. My end goal is to become a professor and teach. I love teaching and that is what I’d like to do forever.”
Remington Hill is a first-year Ph.D. student in Particle Astrophysics at the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, & Astronomy at Queen’s University.
“I am currently working on characterizing the response of neutrino interactions, from supernovae, in the PICO-500 detector. PICO-500 is a next-generation dark matter detector at SNOLAB. I am also working on acoustic and thermodynamic simulations of the inner vessel of PICO-40L, another dark matter detector currently operating at SNOLAB.”
Remington was inspired to pursue physics by his high school physics teacher Mr. Bilton. “He brought a degree of dynamism and engagement to our classes that I am impressed by to this day. I use my experiences with Mr. Bilton as a direct influence on how to approach working with students as a teaching assistant or tutor”
Remington was introduced to SNOLAB in high school. He worked at SNOLAB during his undergraduate and Master of Science in Physics degrees at Laurentian University. “I heard about SuSi from my supervisor, Dr. Stephen Sekula. After SuSi, I plan on continuing my work characterizing supernova signals in PICO-500″.
Paul Deguire is a second-year Master of Science in Physics student in the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph.
“I study what happens to matter when it is under extreme conditions. To do that, I predict the number of neutrinos emitted during the merger of two neutron stars. “
Paul heard about SuSi from his supervisor Dr. Liliana Caballero. “The SuSi program has been really nice. I had a lot of writing to do this summer, including my thesis and paper. Therefore, my summer in Sudbury has been kind of a writing retreat. It was awesome because the lecture program allowed me to take breaks in my redaction while staying intellectually motivated with all the interesting talks and presentations.”
Rajan Anderson is a physics Ph.D. student at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). Rajan works as a part of the PICO collaboration.
“PICO uses a liquid that is about to boil for detecting dark matter. When a dark matter particle interacts with the nucleus of the atoms of the liquid, energy is transferred, and the liquid begins to boil and form bubbles. My research focuses on seeing how a particular type of dark matter would form bubbles in the experiment. I also work with the PICO collaboration to better understand other causes of bubbles.”
“I always liked math and was fascinated by how we could use it to describe the universe around us. I didn’t do my undergrad in physics but after taking a few upper-year quantum mechanics classes I decided that is what I wanted to study at a higher level.”
Rajan heard about SuSi from PICO collaboration emails. After SuSi, he will continue working towards his Ph.D.
SuSi offers a unique platform for budding scientists to engage with each other and learn from experts. SuSi was made possible through sponsorship support from the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation and partnerships with Laurentian University and Science North. SNOLAB hopes to extend this opportunity to many more early-career researchers in the years to come through the development of the SuSi program.
– Vishnu Vijayakumar