UPEI Physics Students to Work in World-Class Research Labs

This summer, seven of UPEI's thirty physics majors are heading to British Columbia to take job placements in two high-profile research labs. Three will be employed by the TRIUMF particle accelerator facility, one of only three such facilities at this level in the world. Four students will work at the National Research Council - Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (NRC-HIA). The Institute manages world-class observing opportunities for Canadian researchers.

Derek Lawther, Chair of the Department of Physics, speaks highly of his students' success in such specialized and competitive workplaces. "UPEI physics students have gained considerable national recognition for their knowledge and overall preparedness for the hi-tech work environment. These are very prestigious placements, and I am very happy for our students' continued success."

The NRC's Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics has two locations in BC and#151; Victoria and Penticton, and it is a key player in international partnerships for large observatories in Hawaii and Chile. This summer, NRC-HIA is hiring nine students, and four of them are from UPEI.

Brian Bylhouwer and Jason MacWilliams will be returning to NRC-HIA to work on projects they started last year. Jason will be at the Penticton location, developing simulations to model the hydrogen gas in our galaxy. Brian will be studying and classifying the shapes of galaxies at the Victoria site. He will be joined by Todd MacKenzie and Michelle MacPhee, second-year physics students on their first co-op work terms.

Maggie Chartrand, Human Resources Systems Coordinator at NRC - HIA, states, "UPEI has certainly made an impression on NRC-HIA and we will continue to promote UPEI as an outstanding university that is able to provide us with top notch students to fill vacancies."

TRIUMF, on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver, is the national research laboratory for sub-atomic physics. Scientists study the particles that make up all matter in the universe. Practical applications of this work include cancer treatment, illegal substance detection, and production of radioactive isotopes for medical testing and therapies. Ten per cent of their summer students will come from UPEI this year.

Evan O'Connor, Andrand#233; Gaudin, and Allan Stewart will be working with various research groups at TRIUMF in experimental and computer programming projects. Evan has won a TRIUMF Summer Research Award, earning a $2000 scholarship for the fall in addition to his summer job. There are only five such scholarships offered throughout Canada, with Evan representing the Atlantic region competition.

"I am honoured to have the chance to represent UPEI at TRIUMF. I would not have had this opportunity without the physics co-op program," says Evan.

Six of the students will be undertaking these work placements as part the UPEI Physics Cooperative Education degree program. This program, which combines a series of work terms with regular classroom instruction, has increased interest in physics at UPEI.

Dr. Sheldon Opps, Director of the Physics Co-op Program, comments, "the Physics Co-op program has been in existence for three years and I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish during this relatively short time frame. We have built a strong reputation amongst co-op programs across the country."