This is a summer break study abroad program, intended for students pursuing a physics major or in limited cases also for engineering majors (focus on ME, Aero, etc). Its objective is to help students understand how basic science makes progress, and to introduce them to the large scientific collaborations (> 1000 scientists) of modern particle physics experiments that are required to advance basic science. These large collaborations are multi-national entities and a variety of complexities arise out of that.

This course introduces students to basic research in a foreign country, namely Switzerland/France. Purdue study abroad candidates, who are accepted (details of the application/selection process provided further down) for the “Study Abroad at CERN” program will be integrated into a high energy physics research group at the TU Dortmund. The local Jung research group members (or collaborating scientists) at CERN will host the study abroad participants in daily research and non-research activities. 

The study abroad programs destination is the Geneva area in Switzerland, a highly international area yet still in the french speaking part of Switzerland and including facilities in France as well. CERN is the one and major global particle physics laboratory to study the fundamental building blocks of nature. CERN is the host laboratory for the Large Hadron Collider one of the for sure largest scientific instruments of all time, and provides colliding proton beams for four interaction regions with different experiment: ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, and ALICE. 

The study abroad program will count against a UG research experience requirement and College of Science Language and Culture requirements of the BS degree in Physics. Furthermore, the study abroad program entails tools and metrics (IDI) to ensure the candidates acquire a certain level of Intercultural knowledge & competence. Study abroad participants are expected to attend at least 4 group meetings of the Jung research group in the preceding spring semester, as well as post-trip meetings to evaluate progress in the area of Intercultural knowledge & competence, as well as teaming & collaboration.

Student supervision during the Study Abroad stay will for the most part be done by the local members of the Jung research group at CERN, and collaborating scientists at CERN. Prof Andreas Jung as the Purdue faculty will join most likely the study abroad program for 1-2 days / week at CERN in person but be available anytime during the other days and weekends via email, skype and cell phone. Regular group meetings with the rest of the Jung research group take place every week and reports on the participants progress are expected as part of the program.

This Purdue Study Abroad course SA10805 requires an introductory level knowledge of quantum and particle physics related topics, which translates to physics majors after their 3^rd year as the most suitable candidates. In particular, for the BS physics honors degree the relevant courses are PHYS460 (honors) and PHYS461 (honors) and for the BS physics degree the minimum is the PHYS360 course – all of these courses are typically offered in the 3^rd year. However, excellent 2^nd year students that have demonstrated a high interest in particle physics will be considered as well, e.g. by having done an independent research course in a high energy physics research group in the Purdue Physics Department.

Please contact the program leader for more information. Application deadlines and selection procedures are detailed further below.