Physicist Inspiring the Next Generation (PING): Exploring the Nuclear Matter -- An Undergraduate Student Perspective

A week-long pilot program to expose high school students to the field of nuclear physics, Physicist Inspiring the Next Generation: Exploring the Nuclear Matter, was launched in the Summer 2019 at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams/National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Four high school students and two undergraduate students travelled to Michigan State University to participate in this unique opportunity. The students built two parallel plate avalanche counters and were guided by two senior undergraduate students. The program included scientific talks from physics graduate students, meetings with scientists from FRIB/NSCL, and presentation of their research during the MoNA Collaboration weekly meetings. PING 2019 also served as a mentorship training opportunity for the undergraduate students. Their roles included teaching each high school student laboratory skills and fundamental physics principles. The program concluded with the students delivering a scientific talk to the MSU Physics and Astronomy Department that detailed their research project, personal career interests and what they have learned throughout their stay at MSU. This presentation will provide some insights of the program from an undergraduate student perspective.