Summer CERN experience

The department sponsored one of our Eng Phys students, Nathan Pacey, to travel to Switzerland to work at CERN for the summer. Here is his experience in his own words:

CERN's annual summer student program selects around 300 university students worldwide to participate in the world's largest scientific experiment in Geneva. Fortunately, I was chosen to join CERN openlab, a division collaborating with technology leaders like Google, IBM, Intel, and Oracle. Openlab focuses on current computing challenges, with approximately 30 students, each working on a significant project. The program has two main parts: student education and training, covering topics such as theoretical and particle physics, data science, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and machine learning; and the project phase within openlab, where we engage in hands-on work to address these challenges.

The openlab network leverages a range of computing resources, spanning cloud-based quantum computing and AI infrastructure, on-site servers, and personal devices. My project aimed to streamline the tasks of systems administrators by developing a web portal for centralized control and data visualization of these nodes. This aggregation of computing resources might seem novel however openlab serves as a unique testbed for computing resources from a variety of tech companies. This unique resource aggregation hadn't been previously explored, making it a valuable endeavor. It enables tech companies to evaluate the performance of their cutting-edge technology and explore its integration into network architecture. This initiative provides an invaluable opportunity for these companies to assess the practicality and efficiency of their state-of-the-art solutions.

For a full version of how I completed my project please see my published report or watch my lecture on CERN’s open access streaming both titled Aggregating Heterogeneous Computing Resources. Also feel free to see what projects the other openlab students from around the world completed as their work varies from Quantum computing, state of the art AI to PCB design for measuring experimental data at CERN!

While my project didn't heavily rely on physics, my background in computer engineering, coupled with previous software development internships, proved instrumental in successfully completing the website. In particular, the backend development skills I acquired during my operating systems internship, combined with application programming skills gained from coursework like computational engineering physics and personal projects, played a pivotal role in the project's success.

While engaging in cutting-edge scientific research was undeniably exciting, my most cherished aspect of the experience was the opportunity to explore Switzerland and parts of Europe I hadn't previously encountered. This entire experience was nothing short of incredible, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been a part of it.