The GREAT-NS Traineeship Program at Berkeley Lab

In the spring of 2022, Berkeley Lab, in collaboration with San José State University, the University of California, Riverside and the University of California, Merced launched a new undergraduate training program for students from Minority Serving Institutions. The goal of this program is to create interest in nuclear science research in these students, such that they may want to pursue careers in the field. In the first year of the underGraduate Research Educational Academic Traineeships in Nuclear Science, or GREAT-NS, program we accepted ten students from six different universities. Each student is working with a mentor and their group on a unique research project. Together with the Berkeley Lab Workforce Development and Education office, we organized an Introductory Nuclear Physics lecture series, a seminar series exposing trainees to different research projects that fall under nuclear science, a journal club, scientific and career advancement opportunities. Here we will present an overview of our GREAT-NS program and discuss the future of GREAT-NS at Berkeley Lab.