The 2025 Nuclear Analytical Techniques (NAT) Summer School will be held once more live at the UC Davis in Davis, CA from June 8th to June 13th. This year, it will be a joint session supported by the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) and the High Energy Physics Consortium for Advanced Training (HEPCAT).

The school will start at 8:30 am on June 20th in the Physics Building Room 185. The school will end on June 13th in the afternoon. Please make travel arrangements accordingly.

“NATCAT”: Nuclear Analytical Techniques (NAT) and High Energy Physics Instrumentation (HEPCAT)

The program will consist of some lectures, but mostly hands-on activities involving nuclear analytical techniques. Below is a draft schedule:

The speaker and lab schedule is being finalized, but activities will include:

  • Nuclear Counting activities at McClellan Nuclear Research Lab.
  • Cross Section measuring activities at the Crocker Nuclear Lab Cyclotron.
  • Investigation of Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs)
  • Investigation of Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS)
  • The Dark Radio search for dark matter.
  • Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).
  • Pulse Shape Discriminator (PSD), using signals from a liquid argon detector.

Cost

There is no registration fee to pay, but you or your institute will be liable for your expenses (travel to and from Davis, accommodation, and meals). We will provided shared room housing at a local hotel. Those desiring an individual room will be responsible for their own lodging.

Application

Click here to apply. Applications are due by April 28th, 2025 11:59PM PDT.

Local team

Profs: Eric Prebys, Bob Svoboda, Mani Tripathi, Eric Prebys, Emilija Pantic, Tony Tyson, Max Chertok, and Michael Mulhearn

Information

Activities: Most of the activities will have activity sheets posted. Please read it before your scheduled activity and familiarize yourself with the material.

Forms: You will HAVE to fill in Volunteer Information form, CNL RUA form. Those will be distributed during the first day. Also, submit This briefing BEFORE going to the MNRC.

Required Clothing: Working in labs at UC Davis will require that you wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. Please remember to bring these with you. Other required Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) will be provided to you as needed. Be aware that the daily temperature range can be quite large in Davis. At the time of the school, daily highs are typically in the mid-90s, while lows are in the mid-50s. Please check the weather forecast and pack accordingly.

Internet: The preferred method to connect to WiFi at UC Davis is eduroam. There is a free wifi network called ucd-guest. Instructions for connecting to it are found here.

Checking in at the hotel is on June 7th, 2025, starting at 4pm. You will receive detailed check-in instructions once your application is accepted.

Parking: If you are driving to campus you must park in the visitor lots. The easiest is the Mondavi Parking Structure, which is about a ten-minute walk from the Physics Building (campus maps are available online). Note, you will need to get a parking pass from the machine each day.

UCD_Physics_Map

Transportation: The Sacramento International Airport is about 25 minutes from campus. A Lyft or Uber ride is about $40.

Davis is also served by the Amtrak Capitol Corridor line. It is about a 30-minute walk from the train station to the dorm through the downtown area.

Presentation Materials:

  • (in progress)

Activities

  • (in progress)