Two Illinois Physics graduate students selected for DOE SCGSR Fellowships

Illinois Physics graduate students Carina Baker and David Jiang have been selected for the DOE’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program. This federal program provides unique research opportunities for promising doctoral candidates conducting research on topics of strategic importance to DOE National Laboratories.

Baker and Jiang will spend the next academic year at Argonne National Laboratory, each working in the specialized research areas of their individual doctoral theses. The advantages of this highly competitive fellowship program include collaborating with world-class scientists, access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, and opportunities to grow a strong professional network.

Carina Baker

Carina Baker is a member of Illinois Physics Professor Jeff Filippini’s research group. She will be working on meteorological data streams—satellite image analysis, a custom cloud camera, etc.—to improve Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data analysis and forecasting for future instruments.

Baker shares, “I will be working at Argonne National Laboratory with physicist Dr. Kathleen Harrington on developing a cloud camera for the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage Four (CMB-S4) and Simons Observatory telescopes. Both the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 study the temperature and polarization of the CMB, the oldest light in the universe.

“Scientists working on several different CMB telescopes have suggested that clouds may impact how telescopes detect the polarization of the CMB. Our cloud camera, which will be located at the future site of CMB-S4 and the current site of Simons Observatory in the Atacama Desert, will image the sky and use a convolutional neural network to detect clouds. By comparing this cloud data to Simons Observatory data, I will study the effects of clouds on the polarization of light from the CMB.”

This research experience ties directly into Baker’s future goals.

“I have worked on development of the CMB-S4 telescope for several years now and I would like to continue working with CMB telescopes in the future,” she says, “This project offers an opportunity to work with on-sky data from a similar telescope, data not yet available from CMB-S4 as it is still in development. I’m excited to work with a new telescope and to develop my meteorology knowledge!”

David Jiang

David Jiang is a member of Illinois Physics Professor Mark Neubauer’s research group, where he focuses on experimental high-energy physics as part of the ATLAS Experiment. At Argonne, he will be working on pixel sensor testing and development for planned upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Jiang describes, “I will be working with Argonne Physicist Jessica Metcalfe on testing and quality control for the new silicon pixel sensors being developed to upgrade CERN’s High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). My role will involve automating and streamlining various aspects of the testing pipeline to improve efficiency and reproducibility. I will also conduct accelerated aging studies on sensor modules to simulate the long-term effects of irradiation, helping to ensure the sensors can withstand the demanding environmental  conditions over the HL-LHC’s operational lifetime.”

This research opportunity offers training essential to Jiang’s future career plans.

“My career goal is to continue conducting research at the intersection of ‘big data’ and advanced hardware, where cutting-edge technology drives scientific discovery,” says Jiang. “This is why I enjoy working on the ATLAS experiment — its enormous and sophisticated detector system, along with the unprecedented volume of data it produces, creates a uniquely exciting environment for exploration and innovation.”