U.S. Particle Accelerator School
U.S. Particle Accelerator School
America's National School of Accelerator Science and Technology

Summer 2025 Application Form


Full details and course outlines are available at https://uspas.fnal.gov/programs/2025/rohnertpark/

Sponsor:

Northern Illinois University

Location:
Rohnert Park, California, USA

Course Dates:

Two-week full courses: July 28 - August 8, 2025
One-week half courses: July 28 - August 1 and August 4 - 8, 2025

Deadline Dates:

Application deadline for all attendees and deadline to submit scholarship supporting documents: April 15, 2025

* = Required fields

Personal Info
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  • Address:
     
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The USPAS collects data on race/ethnicity and gender. Disclosure is voluntary and individual responses are kept confidential. Please select what best describes you.

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  • *    Female   Male   Prefer Not to Answer  
Background
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  •   : I am currently enrolled as a graduate or undergraduate student. If your answer is yes, please tell us at which university you are enrolled*
  •   : I have previously attended the USPAS*
  •   : I am a graduate student enrolled in one of the DOE Accelerator Science & Engineering Traineeships*
    1) Michigan State University’s Accelerator Science and Engineering Traineeship (ASET);
    2) Stony Brook University/Fermilab’s Ernest Courant Traineeship in Accelerator Science & Engineering;
    3) Illinois Institute of Technology/Northern Illinois University’s Chicagoland Accelerator Science Traineeship (CAST)
    4) Cornell University/Arizona State University/University of Chicago/UCLA's Tigner Traineeship in Accelerator Science;
    5) Old Dominion University/Norfolk State University/Hampton University Traineeship (VITA)

Course Selection

Please make your course selection(s):*


  • *New* One-week Certificate Course (Graded pass/fail. Passing students will receive a USPAS Certificate of Achievement.)

    Half course July 28-August 1

    Concepts of Accelerator Science and Technology

    Half course August 4-6

    Concepts of Accelerator Science and Technology

  • — OR —
  • One 2-week university full course (Students successfully completing a full course will earn 3 units of credit from Northern Illinois University).

    Full Courses July 28 - August 8, 2025

    Fundamentals of Accel Physics and Technology with Simulations and Measurements Lab
    Accelerator Physics
    Microwave Measurements and Beam Instrumentation Lab
    Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism in Accelerator Physics

  • — OR —
  • Two successive one-week university half courses (Students successfully completing two half courses will earn 3 units of credit from Northern Illinois University).

    Half courses July 28 - August 1, 2025

    Plasma-Based Acceleration
    Photocathode Physics
    Cryogenic Process Engineering

    Half courses August 4-8, 2025

    Particle Driven Plasma Wakefield Accelerators
    High Brightness Electron Injectors and Applications
    Superconducting Materials for High-Energy Physics

  • — OR —
  • A single one-week half course only (Students attending only one half course are not eligible to enroll for university credit. They can, however, ask to have their homework and exams graded and will be informed of their rating when the school is over.)

    Half courses July 28 - August 1, 2025

    Plasma-Based Acceleration
    Photocathode Physics
    Cryogenic Process Engineering


    Half courses August 4 - 8, 2025

    Particle Driven Plasma Wakefield Accelerators
    High Brightness Electron Injectors and Applications
    Superconducting Materials for High-Energy Physics

Credit / Audit Status

Class sizes are limited. Priority will be given to those who ask to have their performance graded, who enroll for credit either via our academic host university or through their home university if USPAS courses are directly co-listed (i.e. Indiana University, MIT, MSU, etc) or are available at their home university via Special Topics courses. Auditors will be admitted on a space-available basis only after those seeking credit and/or a grade.

International participants not currently in the U.S. may participate but they cannot earn host university credit. They may ask that their performance be graded and when the session is over the USPAS will provide a letter confirming participation and rating earned.

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Session Information

We will not have a Computer Lab with shared PCs so all participants are required to bring their own portable computer to access online course notes and computer resources. This can be a laptop or a tablet with a sufficiently large screen and keyboard. Windows, Mac, and Linux-based systems that are wifi capable and have a standard web browser and mouse are all acceptable. You should have privileges for software installs. If you are unable to bring a computer, please contact uspas@fnal.gov ASAP to request a laptop loan. Very limited IT support and spare loaner laptops will be available during the session.

U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens living in the U.S. may enroll for 3 units of credit from Northern Illinois University. International participants living outside the U.S. may apply to attend the program and may request financial sponsorship but they may not earn credit from Northern Illinois University. International students requesting a scholarship who are not from U.S. visa-waiver countries must already be in possession of a visa that is valid for the entire period of the USPAS session.

Attendees must be 18 years or older.

The Registration Fee is $2,000.00 if your Application Form is received before April 15; after April 15, the fee is $2,500.00. The Registration Fee is $1,000.00 for participants attending only one week of the program. Please note: you do not have to pay the Registration Fee by April 15 - you must send in an Application Form before April 15. Information on how and when to pay the Registration Fee will be sent to non-scholarship students upon acceptance into the program. Group breakfasts and dinners are included in the Registration Fee (two-week attendees receive 12 breakfasts and dinners; one-week attendees receive 5 breakfasts and dinners).

A group block of hotel rooms have been reserved for USPAS participants at the Doubletree by Hilton in Rohnert Park, CA. If you book through the link we send in your acceptance email, a single room is available for $157.00 plus tax (currently 14.29%) per night and a double room (shared by 2 people) is $78.50 plus tax (currently 14.29%) per person per night. Sleeping rooms reserved via our link are also entitled to $10 off nightly parking at the hotel and any other perks we have negotiated for our group. Rooms may be reserved at our rate 3 days before and 3 days after the School dates based on hotel availability.

Scholarships


Currently-enrolled university and college students as well as postdocs within 5 years of graduation may request financial support. To be considered for any of these merit-based awards you must check the relevant application form boxes and submit supporting documents including: a cover letter explaining why the USPAS is important to your career and describing prior research experience, work with or as a user of particle accelerators; your CV/resume; one letter of recommendation.

If you submitted these documents for the winter 2025 or summer 2024 sessions you do not need to resubmit them for this application. We retain supporting documents for one year.

Students receiving any scholarship are expected to fully participate in all aspects of the course and must take their course for a grade/credit. Students receiving housing support must share their hotel room with another student. Scholarships are open to both U.S. and non-U.S. residents. Consideration will be given to balancing class sizes. Applications in multiple scholarship categories are possible and prior awards do not preclude receiving support again.

Scholarship requests and supporting documents are due April 15, 2025. This deadline will be strictly enforced. Please email your supporting documents to uspas@fnal.gov

1. USPAS Scholarship*

Covers the registration fee (includes 2 meals per day) or shared housing or both. This award does not cover travel.

Registration fee requested
Shared hotel room, half-board & registration fee requested
No financial support requested

2. Mel Month Scholarship for Accelerator Science and Engineering

Covers the registration fee (includes 2 meals per day), lunch per diem, shared housing and most travel expenses.

The Mel Month Scholarship supports the study and workforce of Accelerator Science and Engineering (AS&E). Eligible scholarship recipients are actively-enrolled Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) students. A maximum of two scholarships will be awarded at each USPAS session. This scholarship is available to foreign and domestic matriculated undergraduate and graduate students and covers the registration fee (includes 2 meals per day), lunch per diem, shared housing and most travel expenses to and from the school session. More information on the Month Scholarships can be found at https://uspas.fnal.gov/about/about-month-scholarship.shtml

Mel Month Scholarship requested

3. Sekazi K. Mtingwa Scholarship

Covers the registration fee (includes 2 meals per day), lunch per diem, shared housing and most travel expenses.

The Sekazi K. Mtingwa Scholarship supports the study and workforce of Accelerator Science and Engineering (AS&E). Eligible scholarship recipients are actively-enrolled Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) students. This scholarship is available to matriculated undergraduate and graduate students and covers the registration fee (includes 2 meals per day), lunch per diem, shared housing and most travel expenses to and from the school session. More information on the Mtingwa Scholarships can be found at https://uspas.fnal.gov/about/about-mtingwa-scholarship.shtml

Mtingwa Scholarship requested

4. APS Division of Physics of Beams Travel Awards

Covers travel to and from the session. Reimbursable for actual expenses up to a limit.

The Division of Physics of Beams of the American Physical Society is offering a limited number of travel expense scholarships to USPAS students. Applicants must be members of the APS DPB unit (if you are not already a member you must join before requesting the award; student membership is free for the first year). The travel award amount is limited to expenses up to $750.00 with all receipts required. You can enroll for DPB membership at https://www.aps.org/membership/ and more details on eligibility and the selection criteria can be found at DPB Scholarship Details.

APS DPB travel award requested (only available to those who are members of/join the APS DPB unit)


Application deadline for all attendees and deadline to submit scholarship supporting documents: April 15, 2025