Suffolk Reporter

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory recently hosted its inaugural User Facility Summer School, providing 13 students with the opportunity to engage in a hands-on research project across three key facilities: the Tandem Van de Graaff facility, the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), and the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II).

This four-week program, which ran from July 8 to August 2, aimed to give underrepresented and underserved community college and upper high school students an authentic STEM experience. The program is part of the DOE Office of Science's Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) Pathway Summer Schools initiative, supported by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists.

“Part of the goal of this program is to introduce students to a national laboratory, the mission of DOE, the types of research that are conducted here, and how they can be a part of that,” said Sharon Pepenella, senior research programs representative and program co-lead from Brookhaven Lab's Office of Educational Programs.

The curriculum involved mimicking real-world scenarios where silicon components in microelectronic devices might be damaged by cosmic radiation over time. Will Bertolotti, a Plainedge High School science teacher who helped develop the curriculum, noted that “this is the first summer program where students saw three different facilities and each of the facilities was crucial to one stage of the method of their study.”

Students began their research at the Tandem Van de Graaff facility, where they loaded silicon wafers into experimental chambers to bombard them with ions. Tom Kubley, Tandem operations coordinator, praised the students' engagement: “Our operations staff knocked it out the park. The students were very engaged, very interactive. It was a real joy to have them all.”

Following this phase, students moved on to CFN where they used advanced microscopy tools to observe and extract small samples of silicon before and after ion bombardment. Fernando Camino, CFN staff scientist who guided this process, remarked on their enthusiasm: “It was very nice to see their enthusiasm and motivation.”

The final stage took place at NSLS-II where light beams significantly brighter than sunlight were used to image and analyze radiation damage on silicon samples. Lisa Miller from NSLS-II explained that beamline imaging can reveal detailed structural changes at nanoscale levels.

Reflecting on her experience in the program, Kaylie Michael from Rocky Point High School highlighted how diverse specialties at Brookhaven Lab enriched her learning: “Seeing so many different people who have so many different specialties and so much knowledge in different areas is really cool.”

Throughout their time at Brookhaven Lab, students toured various facilities and interacted with staff about potential career paths within scientific research. Ian Chitty from Suffolk County Community College found particular inspiration during his visit to the Superconducting Magnet Division.

The summer school concluded with student presentations on August 2nd. Michele Darienzo expressed pride in both student achievements and community impact: "I think the students touched some lives here too, not just the other way around."