College students conduct groundbreaking research

Students intern with top nuclear research scientists



WHIZ KIDS—Cameron Embree, left, and Gradon Faulkner, right, spent their college summer vacation with internships at a nuclear research facility in Geneva, Switzerland.

WHIZ KIDS—Cameron Embree, left, and Gradon Faulkner, right, spent their college summer vacation with internships at a nuclear research facility in Geneva, Switzerland.

It was the offer of a lifetime.

Cal State Channel Islands students Cameron Embree and Gradon Faulkner were invited to intern with and work alongside some of the world’s top physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)—the research facility that proved the existence of the Higgs boson, or “God particle,” one of the most important scientifi c discoveries of a generation and the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in physics.

Embree of Newbury Park and Faulkner of Simi Valley, both 21, completed summer internships at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. The trip not only opened their eyes to a whole new world of science, it also introduced them to world travel and inspired them to pursue careers in science.

Not bad for an internship.

CERN is the home of the world’s largest particle accelerator and collider, which more than 10,000 international scientists use to study atoms.

Embree and Faulkner worked alongside several physicists and computer scientists conducting groundbreaking research. They were two of 500 interns from around the world accepted by CERN.

The students were part of the California State University Nuclear and Particle Physics Consortium, which allows Cal State students to work with CERN scientists.

The consortium sent six students to Geneva in June. The students spent two and a half months living and working on the CERN campus.

Faulkner said it was the experience of a lifetime—one he never expected because he is the first person in his family to go to college.

Embree said the internship and his travels across Europe were life-changing because he had never traveled outside of California.

Although the trip was fun, it was also rigorous.

The students, both double majors in math and computer science, worked eight hours a day on various projects. Often, after completing one task, they were assigned another problem to solve.

“It was very intense,” said Faulkner, a graduate of Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley. “My mind was exhausted at the end of each day. But I was very thankful for the amount I learned and how much my supervisors pushed me.”

Faulkner worked on a computer program that interprets data from CERN’s large collider, which smashes atoms at high speeds.

Embree, who graduated from Newbury Park High School, tested software packages related to virtual colliders.

“It was a valuable experience just to be able to work with some of these physicists who have done so much cool stuff at such a young age,” Embree said.

Their research experience has inspired Faulkner and Embree to pursue higher degrees after they graduate from CSUCI in 2015.

Embree is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in mathematics and becoming a professor. Faulkner said he will apply to doctorate degree programs, but if he isn’t accepted he’ll likely work as a programmer at a tech company.

The Channel Islands students hope to return to Geneva next summer. Faulkner said his supervisors want him to intern again, but he worries about the financial constraints.

The two students received some financial aid from the university but had to pay about $1,000 each out of their own pockets, plus the cost of food.

Despite the high cost of living in Geneva, Faulkner and Embree said they enjoyed their time at CERN.

“I miss being able to work with my supervisors and have coffee with them to talk about our projects,” Faulkner said. “We’ve stayed in touch over social media, and hopefully I can go back.”


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