The University of Michigan Semester Research Program at CERN

Since 2013, the University of Michigan has hosted a semester-long research program for undergraduate students at CERN. The students are selected from a diverse mix of small and large universities across the USA and embedded in active experiments at the laboratory. The program is modelled on the REU program, which supports 15 students each year in the CERN Summer Student Program, but addresses growing demand for opportunities during the academic year. CERN mentors are selected due to their leadership skills and their ability to educate and inspire the students. Projects cover a wide range of activities from detector R{\&}D to software development, physics analysis and theoretical methodology, touching nearly all aspects of the research program at CERN. Funding, which covers travel, per diem and stipend, comes from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, the University of Michigan Department of Physics, and most recently from the United States Mission in Geneva. We present the growing success of the program, its strategic interest to the US, and describe current efforts to expand its reach to all students across the country.