Lawrence Livermore Plasma Physics Summer School: A Student's Perspective

The plasma physics summer school at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a unique summer experience for undergraduate and first year graduate STEM students. The workshop starts off with a crash course in plasma physics, which lends itself to students who have different educational/field backgrounds. There are daily talks from experts doing research in various areas of plasma physics, as well as from other LLNL scientists. The LLNL EBIT (Electron Beam Ion Trap) is employed as the experimental platform used to illustrate the topics covered in the plasma physics lectures. The workshop also presents students with the opportunity to meet and network with scientists who may be in their area of interest. Students are able to visit some of the major research facilities at LLNL. The summer school was partially supported by the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency under award number DE-NA0002630.