Daresbury laboratories played host to the 3rd annual national particle accelerator open day. The national event, sponsored by the IoP Particles and Beams group, opens up the doors of one particle accelerator laboratory each year to undergraduate engineering and physics students in the UK. This year saw over 70 attendees from a number of UK universities and included tours of the ALICE and EMMA accelerators.
Participants listening to Dr. Graeme Burt during the tour.
The day started with a series of talks from staff working at universities, national labs and industry, including a talk from PhD student Robert Shalloo from Oxford University and ex-Cockcroft PhD student, Janusz Harasimowicz now working at Elekta. After the talks the students went on a tour of the site including the ALICE & EMMA accelerators, the engineering technology centre to see the ELI-NP module assembly, as well as the diagnostics and vacuum labs in the Cockcroft Institute. The event also included a recruitment event with opportunities for postgraduate research, and for employment in labs and industry.
Dr. Hao Zhang from Liverpool’s QUASAR Group explains the gas jet monitor.
Dr Graeme Burt from Lancaster University who organised the event said: “It is absolutely brilliant to see so many students showing an interest in particle accelerators. The unique opportunity to visit a working accelerator facility and talk to researchers and student will help turn these students onto this important field of research.”