Physics undergraduate receives “Essential Contribution” award for his work on CMS Upgrade

Rand Bovard, an undergraduate physics major working with Professors Nadja Strobbe and Jeremiah Mans in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment received a 2024 CMS Detector Upgrade Essential Contribution Award for his work on the Calorimeter Endcap Upgrade. Strobbe cited Bovard’s “invaluable development of the database and interface for tracking the production of HGCAL engine and wagon electronic components.” 

The CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland will go offline in 2026 for the detector upgrade. The LHC upgrade will increase the collision rate by a factor of five, giving scientists a massive dataset to look for new particles and study rare subatomic processes. To keep up with the more intense particle beams, the CMS experiment needs a massive overhaul. The upgrade is expected to be completed by 2029. One of the first priorities is to install more robust detector technology which is more resistant to increased radiation from the more powerful accelerator. Strobbe’s group is working on developing more robust electronic components, which they’ve nicknamed “wagons and engines” because of their similarity in appearance to toy train tracks.