The George Washington University Summer Program in Nuclear Physics Student: Yash Shevde, Physics major (2017) Location: Mainz, Germany Website:http://home.gwu.edu/~edownie/docs/IRES_Flyer_Application.pdf Stipend/compensation: $500/week for 6-­‐8 weeks Application Requirements: Application (info and essay), two recommendations, unofficial transcript. Note: Administrators for this program are extremely kind. I was not a permanent resident at the time of application for this program, which should’ve automatically disqualified me (the program is based off an NSF grant, which stipulates that only citizens and permanent residents can apply). However, since they found my application to be satisfactory, they arranged a separate internship at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) in Newport News, VA. My fellow interns at JLab were there via the DOE SULI program (http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/) apply by Jan 9th and the JLab/ODU REU program (https://www.jlab.org/accel/reu/index.html) Feb 13th Since my experience was similar to these internship programs, I will provide some details for them as well. Location: Jefferson Lab, Newport News, VA Website(s): See above Stipend/Compensation: $500/week, 8 weeks. Application Requirements: Summarized well in above links Housing: At the JLab Residence Facility. Dorm-­‐style rooms (2/room), unimpressive. A well-­‐equipped common room and adjoining kitchen. Projects: Most projects are surprisingly hands-­‐on. I was often left alone within the accelerator facility and halls with fairly advanced equipment (HV setups, Scintillation Paddles, Detector Packages, Oscilloscopes) to run tests on detectors and learn the electronics (trigger mechanisms, multiple channel inputs, logic gates, data acquisition systems etc.) Final paper and presentations of work are required. Social: Firstly, the common room makes things very social and fun. There is also an adjoining field where we would play soccer, ultimate Frisbee etc. JLab has listservs for sports, which are very active. During the summer, they also have USER group meetings for the various collaborations. Most mentors/supervisors encourage interns to attend these sessions. They are often geared toward the student audience, despite the students being a minority. Finally, it’s Newport News. Some nice museums and parks to visit, good food locations and BEACHES (highly recommend Yorktown beach). Still friends with most interns, including some internationals Impressions: Great program for a great venue. JLab is large enough to be a big player in the field, yet small enough to provide diverse experiences.