September 2005Vol. 8 Issue 4

Technology Transfer Bulletin

TRIUMF’s Outstanding Summer Students and Scholarship Winners For each of the last five years, TRIUMF has been awarding five annual scholarships to Canadian students majoring in physics or engineering physics, who have achieved outstanding results in their programs of study. These annual awards each consist of a $2,000 scholarship plus a paid four-month summer research internship at TRIUMF. Each student is assigned to a specific TRIUMF research project with consideration for his/her stated interests. The students receive the $2000 scholarship following the satisfactory completion of their work term and submission of a work term report. As in past years, the 2005 award program attracted some of the best students from all over Canada, with over 45 applications being received. The students also had the opportunity to compete in TRIUMF's 5th Annual Summer Student Symposium, which took place on July 27, 2005. Nine students participated this year, giving excellent presentations with topics ranging from technology transfer to beamline engineering. TRIUMF is pleased to present the winner, as well as other outstanding students. Heather Crawford

Heather is an honours chemistry major at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. She is the recipient of the Award for the British Columbia region, and the winner of the 5th Annual Summer Student Symposium at TRIUMF. Her presentation focused on the importance of the 26gAl(p,?)27Si reaction in astrophysics, the DRAGON facility, and how resonance strengths are measured directly at DRAGON. As the winner of this Symposium, Heather has been invited to attend the 2006 Western Regional Nuclear Conference in Banff, Alberta, where she will present her experience at TRIUMF. As part of the DRAGON group, Heather calibrates the detectors involved in the 26gAl(p,?)27Si experiment, and helps to compile and analyze data obtained with respect to beam normalization, and the number of beam particles incident on the target. Heather learned about TRIUMF’s scholarship

through her professor at SFU and supervisor at TRIUMF, Dr. John D’Auria, who encouraged her to apply. She is enjoying the nuclear science courses she is taking in school, but when she is not studying, her interests include reading, astronomy and traveling, and she plans to take a trip after graduation.

Tam Nhan The Award for the Ontario region went this year to Tam Nhan. She has completed her third year at Trent University in Peterborough, pursuing a double major in physics and computer science. Under the supervision of Dr. John Behr, Tam is currently working with the TRINAT group (TRIUMF Neutral Atom Trap), where she is building various electronic components for the lab. She is also working on laser locking for Potassium-40, which will be used as a reference lock-in signal to trap isotopes of Potassium atoms. Tam has always questioned the origins of the universe, so her main area of academic interest is in astrophysics, nuclear and particle physics. In the future, she would like to work as a research scientist or physicist for a space agency, such as NASA or CSA. Daniel Laycock

This summer Daniel is working with Dr. Reda Tafirout and the ATLAS group to develop data analysis programs, which will be used to analyze data obtained from the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in 2007. David will soon start his fourth year as a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, majoring in Theoretical and Computational Physics. His main academic interest is theoretical physics, and specifically High Energy Physics such as Particle Physics and String Theory. He was encouraged to apply for this scholarship by the Physics Department at McMaster University because “it is a great chance to work at a world-class research facility”. This is Daniel’s second time in Vancouver and he finds the UBC campus truly amazing, both in terms of size and appearance.

September 2005Vol. 8 Issue 4

Technology Transfer Bulletin

TRIUMF Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle & Nuclear Physics

Questions and comments regarding Technology Transfer or this newsletter can be addressed to TRIUMF receives a contribution from the Federal techtrans@triumf.ca or to any of the following: Government through the National Research Council. Philip L Gardner, Division Head, Technology Transfer 604.222.7436 TRIUMF is operated as a joint venture of: Ann Fong, Technology Transfer Officer 604.222.7471 University of Alberta Simon Fraser University Chris Campbell, Technology Transfer Assistant 604.222.1047 ext 6217 University of British Columbia University of Toronto Corina Stan, Office Administrative Assistant 604.222.7582 Carleton University University of Victoria Associate Members: To receive a PDF version of the Bulletin by email each month, please contact us. University of Guelph Queen’s University All Bulletin issues are also online: http://www.triumf.info/public/tech_transfer/tech_transfer_5.php University of Manitoba University of Regina McMaster University St. Mary’s University For information on how to become part of TRIUMF’s supplier base, contact David Kelsey, Université de Montréal 604.222.7435 | dkelsey@triumf.ca 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A3

Michael Smadella Michael is the recipient of the Award for the Prairie Provinces. In September, he will commence his fourth year at the University of Manitoba, with a joint major in Physics and Math. His main area of interest is condensed matter physics, and his goal is to attend graduate school, continue his studies in this field and to eventually hold a faculty position. At TRIUMF, under the supervision of Dr. Syd Kreitzman, Michael is responsible for creating a computer simulation of one of the beamlines. The simulation will allow the muSR group, which uses the beamline, to investigate and optimize beam properties that are relevant to muSR research. This is Michael’s second summer working for TRIUMF. Last year, with the support of an NSERC grant, he worked with the beta-NMR group. His hobbies include computer programming and classical music.

David Wong David has just completed the third year of his Engineering Science program in the Physics option at the University of Toronto. He learned about the scholarship through their advanced undergraduate laboratory and decided to apply and pursue his interests in experimental particle and subatomic physics. At TRIUMF, David is helping Dr. Toshio Numao to develop the detector for the KOPIO experiment, which is designed to detect and clarify the properties of rare particle decay. Specifically, he has been working on finding ways to maximize the signal output and sensitivity of a section of the detector. In his spare time David is involved in student activism and advertising in the engineering division at the University of Toronto. David is enjoying his visit in Vancouver and he is impressed by both the breadth of research conducted at TRIUMF and the size of the summer student program.

Chris Campbell

Chris took the road less travelled to TRIUMF. After being self-employed for over a decade, Chris returned to formal education to pursue his passion for science. Currently, a third year physics major at the University of British Columbia, Chris juggles a young family and part-time business, along with his studies and co-op education program. With a long-standing interest in both fundamental physics and technology transfer, TRIUMF is an ideal place for Chris to work and learn. Working with Ann Fong and Philip Gardner in the Technology Transfer Division, Chris can apply his business acumen while liaising with inventors and patent attorneys, conducting patent related research, and writing technical material for non-scientists. In the future Chris sees himself on the entrepreneurial side of science, helping to bring new technologies from the research laboratory to the market place.

The students that work at TRIUMF each year are among the brightest in Canada. Their time at TRIUMF both enriches their studies and serves to disseminate knowledge resident at TRIUMF to the broader academic and industrial community. This year, the number of undergraduate students employed at TRIUMF has increased considerably. In fiscal year 2004-2005 there were 101 students employed, 65 were undergraduate and 36 were graduate students, compared with 18 undergraduate and 89 graduate students in fiscal year 2003-2004. For more information on student programs at TRIUMF, please visit http://www.triumf.info/public/students/student_jobs.php.