Christian Cagnino, a former Astrophysics student at UCSC is interning at Jefferson Lab through the DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program. Cagnino’s research, titled “Understanding the Characteristics of Magnetrons with Magnetic Field Trimming,” explores the potential of Magnetrons as alternative radio frequency sources for particle accelerators, but the implications are far-reaching overall.

Mainly, Cagnino acknowledges that his selection for this internship is a significant milestone in his educational and professional career. Cagnino discusses some of the hardships he faced as a student, but how his passion for mathematics and physics consistently drove him towards pursuing astrophysics. After overcoming various obstacles, Cagnino successfully received his bachelor’s degree from UCSC and is now moving forward in the field, potentially aiming for a PhD in plasma physics or nuclear engineering. All in all, Cagnino aims to be a significant contributor to the field of physics.

To hear more about Christian Cagnino’s story, and his research through SULI, click here.