[This opportunity is not affiliated with the Department. Registration fees may apply. We share this opportunity at the request of the organizers in case it is of interest to our student body. Participation is at the sole discretion of the individual.]
Professor Diamond in the University of Toronto Physics Department (https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/members/diamond-miriam/, https://mcdonaldinstitute.ca/miriam-diamond/) seeks a third- or fourth-year Computer Science undergraduate student with Game Design expertise to join her SuperCDMS group next summer. SuperCDMS (Cryogenic Dark Matter Search) is a world-leading experiment that looks for interactions of dark matter in cryogenic germanium and silicon detectors equipped with sensors for the thermal energy of particle interactions. The clean, well-shielded detectors are operating deep underground, to avoid interference from cosmic rays. SuperCDMS operated in an underground laboratory in Soudan, Minnesota until 2015. Now, the collaboration is building an even more powerful version of the experiment in SNOLAB, Canada’s world-leading astroparticle physics facility located 2 km below the surface in the Vale Creighton Mine near Sudbury. The mission of the SuperCDMS collaboration is not only to detect dark matter, but also to educate and inspire the public about this scientific endeavour which constitutes perhaps the greatest treasure hunt in history. Prof Diamond is looking for a student to create educational game(s), accessible to the public for free through the collaboration website, incorporating the properties of dark matter as well as the workings of the SuperCDMS detectors. The student will be provided with schematics, including 3D renderings, of the detectors and SNOLAB facility, as well as relevant background information in the field of dark matter.
If you are interested, send an unofficial transcript and 1-paragraph expression of interest by Nov 13 to mdiamond@physics.utoronto.ca . Then, be available to meet with the professor in the subsequent two weeks to jointly develop the details of the research proposal, as outlined in the call for proposals (attached).