“Working on the ATLAS experiment is a transformative experience for our students. They gain hands-on experience with advanced technology and contribute to fundamental science, preparing them for future careers in research and engineering,” Haley said. “It’s worth noting that the research we conduct here at OSU is exactly the same as that at prestigious institutions like Yale and Stanford, and we actively collaborate with these groups, giving our students unparalleled opportunities in the field of high-energy physics.” This interdisciplinary approach is necessary due to the project’s complexity. OSU’s team is developing components for the inner tracker of the ATLAS detector, specifically layers zero and one, which are closest to the collision point. “Our boards receive the most radiation and will receive the most data transmitted through them,” Van de Wall said. “If our boards don’t work, the detector doesn’t work.” OSU faculty and students create numerous versions of components that are eventually installed in CERN’s ATLAS detector. The engineers design flexible cables that link a detector’s sensors to its data system. The parts must meet extremely exact standards, with measurements accurate to just a few micrometers. “I like to tell people that it takes three revisions to make something work correctly,” Welch said. “You build it once, and it doesn’t work. Then you build it again, and it doesn’t work. And then, by the third time, you can actually make it work.” The stakes are high. Any mistakes could be catastrophic. Once installed, these components must function flawlessly for at least a decade, as accessing them for repairs would require disassembling the massive ATLAS detector for nearly a year. The ATLAS collaboration involves approximately 5,000 people from around 40 countries. About 3,500 scientists appear as authors on research papers, with another 1,500 engineers providing support. Rizatdinova finds the most pride in her team, whom she says all work 32 CONNECT 2025
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAxMjk=