Cecilia Elena Gerber
Email Address: gerber@uic.eduCollege: Liberal Arts and Sciences Department: Physics
Title: Professor
Office: SES 2270 Phone: 312 996 2239
Webpage: http://gerber.people.uic.edu/index.html
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes
Research Interest:
My research is in the area of experimental high energy particle physics instrumentation. My students and I study how to make devices out of silicon to precisely measure the position of the smallest subatomic particles. This work is part of an international collaboration between UIC and other US and international physicists on the CMS experiment at CERN, the European laboratory for particle physics. Our device is called the silicon pixel detector. It lies at the core of the particle physics experiment CMS which operates at the CERN large hadron collider, in Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC, produces extremely high speed protons which are then smashed together to study the smallest bits of matter. The large CMS detector takes almost a billion pictures per second of these tiny particles and our device, the 70 Mega pixel silicon detector, measures their position with a precision better than 1/10th the size of a human hair. Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 5-10 Qualifications of a Student:
We will select each student based on his or her academic performance at UIC, employment and research experience, communication skills, and the result of an interview. Students should have completed Phys 141, 142, 215 and 244. We prefer student majors in the following order: (1) physics, (2) math and computer sciences, (3) electrical engineering, and (4) other science major. Highly motivated students with other majors are also encouraged to apply. Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
During 2016, we will be using an X-ray source to test and calibrate 100 pixel detector modules that will be installed at the core of the CMS experiment in the Spring of 2017. Students interested in participating in this work will receive training to ensure their safety and the integrity of the detector modules under study. Student will learn to operate the testing equipment and interpret the results. In the process, they will learn the basics of high energy physics detector instrumentation and become proficient with the use of linux computers and specialized data analysis software. Students can opt to participate in module testing at UIC or at Fermilab. Students can opt to get UIC credit for Physics 392, Physics Research. Limited funds for hourly pay may also be available.
NOTE: This researcher is currently not accepting applications for the Undergraduate Research Experience program.
