Leslie Benitez Gomez

University of California Merced

Class of 2023

"My particular focus was to create a realistic simulation mimicking the segments of the GRETINA germanium crystals. This project has given me the opportunity to learn various programming skills and techniques used in the scientific world today. As a result, I genuinely believe that I have discovered a fantastic niche for myself in the science field, which fully utilizes the career path I am thinking about taking: research."

Mentor: Heather Crawford

Deon Demby

San Francisco State University

Class of 2023

"My research project was creating a database using state-of-the-art nuclear reaction modeling codes to obtain radioactive decay product information that would be used for aerospace applications. Spending time on this project taught me the importance of research and how it relates to our daily lives. It was the perfect experience to learn proper scientific communication and research skills."

Mentor: Lee Bernstein

Stephen Eberly

Saint Mary's College of California

Class of 2023

Mentors: Alan Poon & Bjoern Lehnert

Chukwuemeka Elendu

University of California Merced

Class of 2023

"My research project is about creating a SIMION simulation of a Multi Reflective Time of Flight (MR-ToF) to see if can aid in chemistry experiments involving heavy elements. From working on this project I learned about how to be more of a independent researcher, and learning to read and analyze nuclear science research papers. Another thing is that writing and talking about my project to other scientists taught me the importance of soft skills such as writing and communication as those are important to scientific process as well.”

Mentor: Jennifer Pore

Sawyer Kaplan

San Francisco State University

Class of 2022

"Over the course of the internship, I developed a new calibration technique for the Berkeley Gas-Filled Separator’s dipole magnets. Employing a series of image analysis techniques, I was able to measure the size and shape of ion beams at various magnetic rigidities. By studying how the dipole magnets bend a beam with a known magnetic rigidity we are able to extrapolate toward more experimentally interesting rigidities. When I began this internship I had no prior knowledge of nuclear physics, but with the enthusiastic team of scientists eager to share their expertise, I quickly caught up. Through this experience, I strengthened my python and scientific communication skills."

Mentor: Jacklyn Gates

Abdulla Mammadsoy

California State University, Stanislaus

Class of 2022

"During the traineeship, my role was to develop, test and adopt methods to generate data used by the NucScholar framework. Further, I worked to automate the download and categorization of nuclear science literature from an open access source, extract metadata (e.g., author, DOI, title, etc.) for all manuscripts in the corpus, and convert content to text from the downloaded files. My experience at Berkeley Lab helped me to learn more about conducting research, graduate programs and career opportunities in national laboratories."

Mentor:  Bethany Goldblum

Kacy Mendoza

San Jose State University

Class of 2022

“For my project, I utilized confocal scanning microscopy to visually analyze and collect height profile data from different areas on bismuth-incorporated graphene targets. This internship was my first experience with research and has given me skills such as data collection, analysis, and the preparation that goes into presenting at a national conference. The GREAT-NS program kickstarted my interest in nuclear science and pursuing research as a career and I can’t wait to see where the journey takes me!”  

Mentor: Nicholas Esker

Melanie Segura-Guerreo

San Jose State University

Class of 2025

"Throughout the internship, my focus was in producing and characterizing bismuth targets via physical vapor deposition. To start, I helped in commissioning new components for our thermal evaporator and then evaporated 500 g/cm2 Bi onto a substrate through resistive heating. In order to accurately measure the thickness of the targets, we had to spend time tuning the sensor to correctly measure the rate at which bismuth was being deposited onto the substrate. This was a completely new experience to me and it was super exciting to produce these targets to be used in future heavy element research!"

Mentor: Nicholas Esker

Gabriella Sonderegger

University of the Pacific

Class of 2023

"I developed Monte Carlo simulations of data from experiments

producing nobelium complexes. The simulations were able to determine

mass measurements for the complexes, allowing for easier

identification of the compounds. Through this internship, I gained

coding experience and met nuclear physicists and students passionate

about nuclear science, sparking my own curiosity about the field."

Mentor: Jacklyn Gates