Founded in 1985, the Undergraduate Summer Institutes in Applied Science provide participants with a unique opportunity to develop an understanding of the basic principles and the state of the art of several exciting areas in applied science. The Institutes are sponsored jointly by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation.
Students attend morning lectures on applied science topics.
Students are also given tours of the Laboratory's Nova laser, magnetic fusion energy facilities, student laser lab, and biomedical facilities. Most afternoons are devoted to individual research projects, where students gain hands-on experimental, theoretical, or computational experience under the guidance of UC and Laboratory scientists. A few examples of student projects are Propagation of a Magnetic Wave in a Ferromagnetic Material, Production of Very Highly Charged Ions in an Electron Beam Ion Trap, and The First 10 Picoseconds in the Evolution of a Laser Produced Plasma. The projects culminate in poster presentations on the last day of the Institute. Awards are given to the students and their Laboratory advisers for the best research projects.