The National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program (NNSA-MSIIP) funds undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Minority-Serving Institutions. The program is open to students from all academic backgrounds.

NNSA-MSIIP  interns who joined the lab in June included:

(from left): ATAP BELLA Center Postdoctoral Researcher Hongmei Tang and NNSA-MSIIP student Aegean Kael Dela Cruz. (Credit: Matthew Fullmer/Berkeley Lab)

Name & affiliation: Aegean Kael Dela Cruz, University of California, Berkeley
Project title: Charge Diagnostics for Compact Laser-Plasma Accelerators
Mentor: Hao Ding & Armando Zuffi
Quote from intern: “Having the opportunity to jump on all aspects of a large-scale project, from the fundamental physics to the engineering and electronics, has allowed me to appreciate many different disciplines.”

(left to right) NNSA-MIISP student Hamzah Ahmadi and ATAP Fusion & Ion Beam Technology (FS&IBT) Program Research Scientist Mauricio Ayllon Unzueta. (Credit: Matthew Fullmer/Berkeley Lab)

Name & affiliation: Hamzah Ahamdi, Carnegie Mellon University
Project title: User-friendly Logging for Hardware Control (a Python Package)
Mentor: Arun Persaud
Quote from intern: “Being able to engage with passions within software development by enhancing a complex Python library in its visual and functional features while simultaneously learning about interesting physics work at the lab such as associated particle imaging has been a highly enriching experience.”

(from left): FS&IBT Research Assistant Matthew Colborne; NNSA-MIISP student Kevin Parra; and FS&IBT Research Scientist Mauricio Ayllon Unzueta. (Credit: Matthew Fullmer/Berkeley Lab)

Name & affiliation: Kevin Parra, Miami Dade College
Project title: Noise Filtering in Large Data Files
Mentor: Arun Persaud
Quote from intern: ”Having the opportunity to develop innovative ideas to solve various complex problems within my field of study and contribute my skills to a significant project that aims to enhance energy efficiency while learning more about Python libraries, algorithms, and data analysis.”

(left to right) FS&IBT Research Scientist Mauricio Ayllon Unzueta and NNSA-MIISP student Devin Pease. (Credit: Matthew Fullmer/Berkeley Lab)

Name & affiliation: Devin Pease, University of Arizona
Project title: Tools for Automated MCNP Simulations
Mentor: Arun Persaud
Quote from intern: “Interning at Berkeley Lab has allowed me to grow as a computer scientist by challenging me to improve and innovate solutions. In the Ion Beam Technology group, I have the opportunity to work with fascinating topics in applied computing, including metaprogramming, property testing, and parallel processing.”

To learn more …

Department of Energy Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists

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