Andrew and Dr. Joshua Willis, his mentor for his summer 2012 research project.
Name: Andrew Miller
Major: Physics
Classification: Senior
Hometown: Houston, TX
Mentor: Dr. Rusty Towell, Physics
What I Study: This summer I have been working at Brookhaven National Laboratory on PHENIX; a particle collider experiment designed to study the proton spin structure. I have been analyzing the data from this year in order to find out how it is affected by various changes in the configurations of the detector. By studying these changes and connecting them to things like high voltage trips, or changes in threshold levels, we will be able to select the best data we have to gain more accurate measurements of the W-boson asymmetry.
Why I do research: I enjoy it! I have done physics research for the past three summers and have had an incredible experience each time. Being able to join an experiment with collaborators from around the globe and contribute something useful is really rewarding. Research has also given me a chance to see different areas of physics and help me decide what I want to study in the future.
Conferences: Andrew has presented his work at the American Physics Society (APS) Division of Nuclear Physics meeting in 2011, APS March Meeting, Texas Section, the Sigma Pi Sigma (SPS) Quadrennial Congress in 2012, and the ACU Undergraduate Research Festival in 2012 and 2013.
Awards: Andrew received Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention. At the SPS Quadrennial Congress his poster received Honorable Mention. Andrew also won an Outstanding Presentation award at the 2013 ACU Undergraduate Research Festival.