New York City College of Technology, a senior college and minority serving institution located in the heart of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, is combining its strong background in preparing the next generation of technical and scientific workforce with the success of its current collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in preparing students in the field of Accelerator Science and Technology. The proposed project would serve as a resource for the training STEM students in Accelerator Research & Development (R&D) and the development of a self-sustainable academic minor at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), while addressing the technical developments at the Accelerator Science & Technology Department/Brookhaven National Laboratory/Department of Energy (ASTD/BNL/DOE).

The project proposed here builds foundations for research and training in Accelerator Research and Development (R&D) through a new partnership model and through supporting research and training applications that include project elements aimed at directly addressing barriers to participation. An integral part of this effort is the strategy developed by the Co-PI(s) of the proposed project to recruit and retain individuals from diverse backgrounds with clear and measurable outcomes.

The team will achieve its goals by:

1. Recruiting STEM students; mentoring and teaching the recruited students one-on-one and through workshops, seminars, and specific scientific and engineering courses; and training the recruited students through a ten-week summer hands-on training program at BNL during each summer of the project;
2. Developing and offering three new courses in the Accelerator Science and Technology (AST) and a new Academic Minor in AST under the umbrella of the Electrical Engineering Technology program;
3. Conducting research in Accelerator Science and Technology alongside the ASTD scientists and engineers through a carefully designed summer program.

The scope of the proposed research is aligned with the goals the Office of Science Program at DOE, in general, and the RENEW program in particular. If awarded, the proposed project would be an ice-breaker for students and faculty at City Tech, as well as colleagues at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Co-PI(s) of the project strongly believe that through this project, the entire STEM curriculum and research arena at City Tech will be approached from a new perspective. Never in the history of the College there was such an opportunity offered to students to deeply immerse themselves into a particular field, which would shape their careers so efficiently. The rather broad approach of the academic field is forced now into a very narrow field, allowing the students to gain extensive experience that would otherwise take a very long time to achieve. The proposed novel educational model, which bridges academia with the science labs, and the work/research results will be disseminated to the community via presentations in conferences, papers published in peer reviewed journals, project website at City Tech and BNL, seminars, and open house events.

The proposed project will benefit the Department of Energy by giving it the opportunity to offer long term collaboration prospects to the best performing students in the field of Accelerators R&D from a diverse population of highly trained STEM students.