14. SCIENCE EDUCATION
by Mike Woods
Appendix B Self-Evaluation FY2006
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Education and promoting development of the next generation
of scientists and engineers is a key part of SLAC’s mission.
The primary means for achieving this is by providing research
opportunities at SLAC’s facilities and centers for experiments
in Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics and Photon Science.
A large number of graduate students are supervised by SLAC
and Stanford faculty and a much larger number work with
faculty at user institutions. In addition, SLAC provides
educational opportunities for K-12 students and teachers,
community college students and undergraduates. SLAC hosts
or participates in several events each year that promote
science and science education, such as SLAC Kids’ Day and
the DOE Science Bowl. SLAC also continued its successful
Public Lecture Series, making the forefront science research
carried out at SLAC accessible to the local community.
Precollege (K-12 Students and Teachers, Community College
Students)
SLAC began participation in the DOE LSTPD teacher professional
development program in 2006 with 1 high school teacher taking
an 8-week summer internship. That teacher will be a lead
teacher for an LSTPD program (to be renamed as DOE ACTS)
at SLAC in FY07 that will offer a 4-week workshop for 9
middle school science teachers. Some high school students
are hired for specific projects during the summer. SSRL,
for example, hired 4 high school students in summer 2006.
Undergraduate Students
In summer 2006, 22 undergraduate students from around
the country had summer research internships at SLAC, through
DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
program. These students are housed on Stanford campus and
carry out individual projects with SLAC scientists who mentor
the students. SLAC’s summer science program for undergraduates,
now funded through SULI, has operated at SLAC for over 30
years. Two Stanford graduate students were co-directors
for this year’s program. There is a lecture series as part
of the program and students prepare presentations and papers
on their research work. The 22 student papers are collected
into a SLAC Report. SLAC also supported one Pope Fellowship
in summer 2006, which is an internship for an undergraduate
student at one of the user institutions whose faculty and
students participate in SLAC’s research program. In addition
to these SLAC programs, a number of user groups bring undergraduate
students to SLAC each summer, while a few more students
are hired by SLAC staff scientists directly to work on specific
tasks. SSRL, for example, had 9 undergraduates as direct
hires for the summer and 23 working on synchrotron-based
experiments as members of user groups in FY06.
Graduate Students
SLAC is a host for the research of large numbers of graduate
students every year. These students work with SLAC and Stanford
faculty, or with faculty from other institutions who carry
out research at SLAC as users of the facilities, both in
the Particle and Particle Astrophysics (PPA) programs and
in the Photon Science (PS) programs. PPA currently has 57
Stanford graduate students pursuing Ph.D.s with SLAC faculty
and there are an additional 9 1st year graduate
students working at SLAC as rotation students for at least
one quarter. About 30 graduate students are advised by SSRL
or Stanford department faculty and work in a field related
to Photon Science as part of their thesis work. SLAC graduate
students represent a large range of scientific disciplines
and are matriculated in several of the Schools of Stanford
University, with home departments including Physics, Applied
Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering,
Chemistry, Structural Biology, Geological and Environmental
Sciences, Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Neurology, and
Neurological Sciences. Users bring a large number of graduate
students to SLAC for their research, in particular for the
BaBar experiment at PEP-II and for SSRL. SSRL hosted approximately
285 user graduate students in FY06, and the number was similar
for particle physics and accelerator physics experiments
at BaBar, PEP-II and the FFTB, NLCTA and ESA test facilities.
Many of the user groups include non-US students who come
to SLAC with faculty from their home institutions, in particular
for the BaBar experiment at PEP-II.
Postdoctoral Scientists
SLAC is a major training ground for young postdoctoral
scientists working either as SLAC or Stanford University
employees or coming here as members of user teams. Postdocs
benefit from intense training and immersion in the scientific
opportunities provided by SLAC’s facilities, working together
with SLAC’s faculty and staff scientists. Photon Science
experiments at the SSRL and the Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source
(SPPS) facilities hosted approximately 175 postdocs in FY06.
The BaBar experiment at PEP-II and accelerator physics and
test beam experiments at PEP-II, NLCTA, FFTB and ESA also
hosted about 200 postdocs in FY06.
Affirmative Action Programs for Students
SLAC has a number of programs designed to enhance diversity
in the sciences, including the following programs for students:
the Youth Outreach Program (YOP) providing summer employment
for local disadvantaged youths between ages 16-22; the National
Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering
and Science, Inc. (GEM) and the Work Study Program (WSP).
3 students participated in the YOP during FY06; 5 participated
in GEM; and 4 participated in WSP. GEM students at SLAC
come for summer employment for two or three consecutive
summers. WSP students from local high schools and community
colleges are provided part-time employment during the academic
year and full-time employment during the summer.
Summer Schools
A large number of workshops are held at SLAC each year
and provide opportunities for graduate students (and in
some cases undergraduate students) to attend and present
posters, talks and papers. Two summer schools were held
at SLAC in 2006, which are targeted specifically to graduate
students and young postdocs. This year, the topic for the
34th SLAC Summer Institute was “Exploring with
the LHC” and it attracted 204 participants. The 5th
joint Stanford-Berkeley Summer School on “Synchrotron Radiation
and Its Applications in Physical Science” attracted 38 participants.
Events
SLAC’s 5th Annual Kids@SLAC Day was held in
August and attracted 250 children aged 9-16 years old. This
fun and informative event provided an opportunity for kids
to learn about what is done at SLAC, and to spark interest
for potential science-related careers. A science talk on
black holes, astrophysics and fundamental particles was
given by KIPAC’s Phil Marshall. Kids could attend several
workshops, choosing from Optics, Mechanics, Astrophysics,
Rockets, Waves, Electronics, Catapults, Monster Muscles,
Paleontology, Radiation, Magnetics, Biology, Electric Motors,
Vacuum and Welding.
SLAC hosted a regional DOE Science Bowl for high school
students for the second time and again it was a great success.
25 high school teams from 16 schools competed. 60 SLAC staff
and faculty participated as organizers, moderators, time
keepers, score keepers and team escorts. Awards were presented
by SLAC’s Nobel Laureate Martin Perl.
SLAC staff volunteer to assist local schools and students
in a number of ways, including invited presentations, demonstrations,
and judging at Science Fairs. Four staff scientists judged
Bay area regional science fairs in FY06. One staff member
also serves on the board of Expanding Your Horizons, a science
program for girls in Grades 6-12.
Public Lectures
The SLAC Public Lecture Series opens the doors to the
inner workings of SLAC for the local nonscientific community.
Lecturers describe what SLAC is all about: the research,
the facilities, and the people that make this a world-class
research institute. Refreshments are provided after the
talks and attendees can chat with staff scientists and faculty,
who are on hand to answer questions. Five lectures were
offered to the public in FY06 to capacity audiences of over
300 people each. The topics for these lectures were the
Big Bang, hidden dimensions, arsenic, the Archimedes palimpsest
and comets.
Tours
Public Tours of SLAC are available to the general public
and schools, for everyone 12 and older and are provided
free as a public service. Tours include an overview of SLAC
science, a view of the giant detectors required to observe
subatomic particles and a stroll down the Klystron Gallery,
the world’s longest building. Approximately 1000 middle
school students and an additional 1000 high school students
toured SLAC in FY06. This includes Scout troops, groups
from summer programs, and other youth groups. SSRL also
hosts and guides student tours that are part of the curricula
for undergraduate classes at Stanford and other Bay Area
universities. Many public tours of SLAC are given, and for
Stanford’s commencement day, approximately 500 people toured
SLAC. |
SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA