Hard hats, particle accelerators, electron guns, lasers, orange goggles, and a PhD thesis…So much has happened these last few weeks in the Sherwin lab! Here is a brief play-by-play of the most recent exciting events in my lab this summer:

The Chronicles of the Free Electron Laser:

The very powerful Free Electron Laser (FEL) we use for various experiments in terahertz spectroscopy had a little hiccup. Simply put, the particle accelerator had to be opened and serviced by our FEL “master” and mechanic, Dave. In order to do this, the entire accelerator must first be drained of the sulfur hexafluoride gas that fills it. Once the accelerator cavity is cleared, people can safely go inside. Dave kindly gave me and a couple of my lab-mates an up-close and personal tour of the all-powerful FEL. Here is the hole in which I bravely crawled through to get inside:

Upon entering, the floor on which you stand also serves as an elevator shaft, taking you up or down based on what section of the accelerator you wish to see. Here is what looking up the accelerator from the inside looks like:

Simply put, the key components of transporting and “accelerating” electrons lies within this center structure. Within this structure is something called an electron gun, which essentially shoots out an electron beam. Here is the electron gun (located at the top of the accelerator):

After learning an incredible amount about how the main components within this structure work, one by one everyone in the accelerator crawled out. Here I am with one of the grad students in the Sherwin lab, Jessica. We were both so thrilled to have been inside such an amazing part of the FEL!

Orange Goggles:

Last week the CSEP summer internships held the annual poster session. This year another intern in my lab, Jordan, was also a part of this presentation through the INSET program. In order to more effectively convey the great, fun, exciting, and innovative research that goes on the Sherwin lab, Jordan and I teamed forces and presented our posters side-by-side. Both eager to share our most recent summer project findings, we needed to find a way to draw in a big crowd. In other words, we needed a way to hook spectators’ attention. So we grabbed a couple pairs of laser safety goggles (orange!) and wore them while standing in front of our respective posters:

The glasses really complemented our posters (and they are very sleek and stylish)! In the end we had a great turnout of people – people from all fields of science, and also many who weren’t in science at all! Being able to explain my project, over and over again to a new person each time, never tires or bores me. I’m always ready and excited to talk about my work (next time you see me, don’t hesitate to ask me anything about my research!). All in all, the poster session was a great success.

Submitting the PhD thesis:

Okay, so I didn’t submit a PhD thesis (I’m still an undergrad!). But my mentor, Devin, just did; congratulations Devin! Devin has been my mentor for the past year – last summer, last school year, and this summer. Here we are last summer (2012), in the magnet lab:

Devin’s been an awesome mentor – always making sure I understand the fundamental concepts behind our research and encouraging me throughout the summer. He, along with Dr. Sherwin and the entire lab, has made my research experience a fun, challenging, and memorable one. An important theme I’ve learned here is that research is a collaborative effort – between PIs, post-docs, grad students, undergrads, etc. Whenever I run across a difficult problem, Devin or any of the other people in my lab are always eager and happy to help.

Even though UC LEADS is coming to an end for the summer, I will still be working in the lab. New material for the terahertz light absorbers I’m making just came in – I have a good amount of work ahead of me, and I can’t wait. This is not the end, it’s a new beginning!