Physics Research First Program

Applications are now open for Summer 2024.

The Physics Department at LVC is happy to offer Research First, a program that provides opportunities for incoming LVC first-year students to work with college faculty/student research teams during the summer before their freshman year of college. This 40 hours per week immersion experience in scientific research provides opportunities to learn many new techniques in experimental and theoretical physics. Based on high school records and experience, we will select a limited number of incoming LVC first-year students for this program.

During your time as a Research First student, you would work alongside a faculty member as a paid research assistant. By doing so, you will complete one of your general education requirements, even before taking your first class at LVC!

As a Research First student, you will become involved in challenging and interesting research areas, including:

• Quantum Information Science—study the ways in which the “quantum advantage” of systems of entangled particles can perform computing and communications tasks that outperform the most powerful existing computers
• Computational Nuclear Physics—extract information on the elementary particles that make up objects like the proton by writing code in Python to compute high-energy particle collisions and analyzing how models fit experimental data.

If you match the profile given below, we encourage you to apply for Research First. In our selection process for this program, we will be looking for students who:

• Will graduate in the top 20% of their class
• Have strong high school backgrounds in science and mathematics
• Scored 1200 or greater combined on the SAT math and verbal exams (SAT optional)
• Have an innate sense of curiosity and a genuine interest in discovery research

During Research First, you can spend up to four full weeks during June and July working on discovery research in one of our groups, receive room and board while staying at the College, and receive a weekly stipend. Acceptances are made on a rolling basis.

Questions? Please contact Dr. Dan Pitonyak at 717-867-6151 or pitonyak@lvc.edu.