Local and Overseas Summer Programs for Undergraduate Students 2024
Our Department is soliciting applications from undergraduate students majoring or planning to take Physics related majors for the following undergraduate local and overseas summer programs in 2024.
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(1) Physics Summer Undergraduate Overseas Research Program
Description:
(a) 2024 CERN Summer Program
The department will recommend one student to the CERN program with the details available at:
https://home.cern/summer-student-programme
Accepted participants are also required to apply for the Virtual-Overseas Research Fellowship of the Faculty of Science.
If you are interested in this program, please apply directly to CERN first before their dead line 12:00CET, 31 Jan 2024. Then you submit the application form attached to this email to the department. We will arrange interview to select candidate. The department will not consider your case if you have not applied to the CERN.
(b) Research at other overseas universities
The participant(s) will be assigned to work on a frontier science research project supervised by a professor or scientist overseas upon mutual agreement based on an interested research field. Previously, successful candidates had been placed in prestigious institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Caltech and Stanford. Accepted participants are also required to apply for the Virtual-Overseas Research Fellowship of the Faculty of Science.
Duration: Minimum 8 weeks (Exact start/end days and working hours to be determined after discussions with the research supervisor)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of the Introductory Level course requirements for either Astronomy/Maths-Physics/Physics majors
Financial support: Undergraduate Research Fellowship Programme (URCP)of the Faculty of Science if successful
Target group: Current third year majors who would like to gain experience conducting research in an overseas research institution. Special considerations may be given to second year majors with exceptional performances.
Selection criteria: The selection will be based on the following factors: academic performance, relevant experience and aptitude for research.
Relation to Capstone Experience: For participants who have completed the requirements for the Capstone Experience (http://www.scifac.hku.hk/ug/current/bsc/curriculum/capstone-req), they may register for the course PHYS4966 Physics Internship before the commencement of this activity and no later than 1 July, 2024. Details will be announced in due course. Participants may use PHYS4966 to satisfy the Capstone Experience requirement for graduation.
(2) Physics Department Summer Local Internship
Description: This year, the following local internship possibilities are available:
(a) Hong Kong Science Museum
(b) Hong Kong Space Museum
(c) Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre
(d) Secondary School teaching opportunities
The work requirements for the positions in the last summer are as follows:
(a) Hong Kong Science Museum:
One position: Under the Science Promotion Unit
- To assist in the research of the science news and fun science facts and writing posts on our social media
- To conduct visitors' survey for the special exhibition and science promotion activities
Second position: Under the Development Unit
- To assist in the development of experiment programmes
- To assist in the running of experiment programmes for young children and elderly people
(b) Hong Kong Space Museum:
The main work is to assist with their public activities and astronomy projects.
(c) Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre (1-2 positions):
The main work is to help them to develop new educational programs in astronomy for both school children and school teachers. The intern is expected to also work in some nights.
(d) Secondary School teaching experience (3-4 positions):
A wide range of possible duties, including, but not exclusively: preparation of teaching materials, development of online teaching framework, tutors of summer learning programs, tutors of gifted science programs, assisting in public expedition activities, teaching junior form secondary school students physics and popular science.
Duration: 8 weeks in the summer of 2024 (Exact start/end days and working hours to be determined after discussions with the internship provider)
Prerequisite: Nil
Financial support: Nil
Target group: Our current second and third year majors who would like to spend some time in the summer of 2024 to work as an intern in a local institution. Special considerations will also be given to other groups of students, such as first year majors with strong academic results and/or relevant experience.
Selection criteria: The selection will be based on the following factors: academic performance, relevant experience and aptitude. Moreover, if everything being equal, preference will be given to third year majors who have not completed capstone requirement.
Relation to Capstone Experience: For participants who have completed the requirements for the Capstone Experience (
http://www.scifac.hku.hk/ug/current/bsc/curriculum/capstone-req), they may register for the course PHYS4966 Physics Internship before the commencement of this activity and no later than 1 July, 2024. Details will be announced in due course. Participants may use PHYS4966 to satisfy the Capstone Experience requirement for graduation.
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Interested students to either one or both of the programs should fill in an
application form and submit it in hard copy together with your examination results up to now to the Department Office.
The deadline to hand in the application is 26 Jan 2024. Shortlisted applicants may be invited for interviews.
Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Francis Ling (
ccling@hku.hk)
* Remarks: For students who would like to claim financial support for these activities, the expense claims, accompanied by original receipts [and used air ticket(s) if reimbursement of airfare is requested], must be submitted to Department Office not more than 30 days after the end of the activity. Expenses claimed after this period will not be allowed.
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Undergraduate Overseas Experiential Learning Activities 2023-24
Our Department is soliciting applications from undergraduate students majoring or planning to take Physics related majors for the following undergraduate experiential learning activity for 2024. These activities will take place during the summer of 2024. Students who had already applied for the Local and Overseas Summer Programs for Undergraduate Students 2024 may also apply to these activities. It should be noted though that the internship candidate need to receive prior approval from their internship supervisors before they can participate in these activities.
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(1) Summer School on Nuclear Physics at RIKEN, Japan
Description:
The 14th Nishina School for Nuclear Physics will be held for 11 days from July 24 to August 3, 2024 at RIKEN research institute in Tokyo, Japan.
The RIKEN Nishina Center (RNC) commences the Nishina School to enhance international research relationship in Asian region in the field of nuclear physics. In this program, undergraduate students participated are from HKU, Peking University, Seoul National University and universities in Japan.
The curriculum of the School was designed to introduce the pleasure of nuclear physics to the undergraduate students. The first-week program consists of lectures, basic experimental and accelerator trainings. The second-week program dedicates to performing real-beam experiment using the RIKEN accelerators and detectors: starting from planning, data-taking, followed by the analysis and the discussion. Student presentation is held on the last day of the School. There will be compulsory pre-workshop preparatory lectures held at HKU before the School to introduce basic knowledge in nuclear physics, experimental skills and safety issues.
Previously HKU undergraduate students participated in the Summer school in 2016 (6 students), 2017 (6), 2018 (5), 2019 (5) and 2023(5). The school was not held in 2020-2022 because of COVID.
Students may get partial financial support from the Faculty and the department (to be confirmed later). All undergraduates majored in physics or physics intensive are welcome to apply. Preference will be given to undergraduates in their 3rd and 4th years.
Interested students can apply through replying this recruiting email before 19 April 2024, with details including:
(1) Name, student number, majors and minors, year of study
(2) Academic transcript
(3) Explain within 200 words the reason you want to join Nishina School. Please also include factors crucial for assessing your application.
Selected students will be invited for interview.
If there is any question, please contact Dr. Jenny Lee (jleehc@hku.hk).
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(2) Practical Observational Astronomy
Description:
The Practical Observational Astronomy program will be held over 2 nearly-contiguous periods:
(1) 5-11 June 2024: Refresher course and preparation at HKU
(2) 13-26 June 2024: Travel, observations, and data analysis in Spain
The program in Spain will be conducted at the Galactica (
https://www.cefca.es/galactica_en/general), a Centre for Astronomy, Education, and Outreach located near the village of Arcos de las Salinas, Teruel. We will stay at the Hotel El Cierzo Javalambre (
https://elcierzodejavalambre.es), which provides full board (accommodation and all meals), in the village of Arcos de las Salinas. We will also make visits to the Observatorio Astrofisico de Javalambre (OAJ), a research class astronomical observatory where a unique sky survey of its type is being carried out. A visit to the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA), the organization that operates both the Galactica and OAJ and which is located in the city of Teruel, is also planned.
The purpose of this program is to apply the technical concepts introduced in PHYS3650 (Observational Astronomy) to the astronomical issues introduced in both that course and in PHYS2650 (Modern Astronomy). Students must have taken at least one of these courses, but need not worry if they have not taken both courses: refresher lectures on concepts and issues relevant to this program will be provided at HKU in preparation for the tasks to be carried out at the Galactica.
The number of students participating in this program is limited to fourteen. Successful applicants will be provided partial financial support from the Faculty. The out-of-pocket cost for individual participants will depend on two factors, airfare and the total number of participants. Assuming an airfare of HK$10K and fourteen students attending, the out-of-pocket cost for individuals is estimated to be about HK$6.5 K.
Interested students can apply by replying to this recruiting email by 5 pm, 5 May 2024, with the following details:
(1) Name, student number, majors and minors, year of study
(2) Academic transcript
(3) Whether you have taken PHYS2650 or PHYS3650, or both
(4) Explain in no more than 100 words the reason you wish to join this program.
Selected students may be invited for interview.
If there is any question, please contact Prof. Jeremy Lim (
jjlim@hku.hk)
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* Remarks: Eligible items include travel expenses, accommodation and registration/programme fee (if applicable). Meals and local (Hong Kong) travel cost are not supported. For students who would like to claim financial support for these activities, the expense claims, accompanied by original receipts [and used air ticket(s) if reimbursement of airfare is requested], must be submitted to Department Office not more than 30 days after the end of the activity. Expenses claimed after this period will not be allowed.
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