Regional Introduction to Plasma Physics (RIPP)

The Regional Introduction to Plasma Physics (RIPP) is a 9-week summer internship program for undergraduate students enrolled at institutions across the southeastern U.S. (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, West Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico).

The ultimate goal of the program is to promote long-term relationships between students in the southeastern U.S. with investigators in Alabama. RIPP students will become involved in a summer research project at an FTPP institution for nine weeks. The RIPP program is a one-on-one mentorship program, where selected candidates will work closely with an advisor on an independent research project. The program will also involve an intensive two-week (half-day) online training activity participating in lectures and short classes in plasma science given by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). This week will take place concurrently with the Department of Energy (DOE) Summer Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program. In this way, RIPP students will be part of a larger, national plasma science student cohort, learn about opportunities in plasma science, and be exposed to the research environment of the national laboratory for plasma physics.

RIPP Program Lead

Dr. Lingling Zhao

lz0009@uah.edu

Check out some past projects!

RIPP Student Presentations

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be an undergraduate student enrolled full-time in a higher education institution in the southeastern U.S (in a state that is part of NSF EPSCoR), which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, West Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Applicants must be pursuing a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field.
Eligible applicants must be rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Students graduating before the internship are not eligible unless they have accepted an offer to enroll as graduate students at an FTPP institution. Freshmen are not eligible.
Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.
Applicants must be 19 years of age by the start date of the appointment.
Interns must have personal health insurance coverage during the internship.
Some projects require US citizenship, this will be indicated in the project description PDF.

RIPP Projects

CLICK ON EACH PROJECT TITLE TO LEARN MORE.

Projects:

Project Title*	Project Code	Disciplines	Host Institution
Study of diamagnetic cavity formation in laser produced plasmas	Xu-UAH	Physics, Engineering	The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Fast camera imaging techniques to study plasma instabilities and turbulence	Thakur-Auburn	Physics, Mathematics, Engineering	Auburn University
The use of spectroscopy and Langmuir probe data to improve plasma diagnosis	Williamson-Auburn	Physics, Engineering, Math	Auburn University
Nanomechanical detection of plasma and materials processes	Camata-UAB	Applied Physics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering	The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Magnetic Reconnection Near the Heliocentric Current Sheet from In-Situ Spacecraft Observations	Zhao-UAH	Physics, Math, Computer Science	The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Investigating deep injection of energetic particles into the low L region of the inner magnetosphere under different geomagnetic activity conditions	Chen-Auburn	Space Physics	Auburn University
RF Communication System Development For CubeSat and Ground Station	Spencer-USA	Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science.	The University of South Alabama
Estimation of proton heating rate due to interplanetary magnetic switchbacks observed by Parker Solar Probe	Adhikari-UAH	Physics, Math, Computer Science	The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Biomedical application of Low Temperature Plasma functionalized Polycaprolactone nanofiber.	Vig-ASU	Biomedical	Alabama State University
Numerical modeling of plasma plumes induced by irradiation of multicomponent targets by pulsed lasers	Volkov-UA	Engineering physics	The University of Alabama
Hyperparameter Optimization Procedures in Physics-Informed Machine Learning and Plasma Physics Applications	Schoenbaum-UAH	Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Kinetic Modeling, Physics-Informed Machine Learning	The University of Alabama in Huntsville

*Please click on each Project Title to view project descriptions

Internship Benefits

A nine-week stipend of $6,500 to cover travel and general living expenses.
Paid on-campus* housing during the nine weeks in Alabama for students participating in sites more than 50 miles away from their home institutions.
Online Introductory Course on Plasma Physics given by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

*If space is available, accommodations will be arranged at your host institution; otherwise, students will be accommodated in a hotel.

Intern Responsibilities

Interns must complete an Introduction to Plasma Physics online course through PlayPosit, prior to starting their RIPP internship.
Interns are required to participate in a virtual pre-internship meeting to discuss expectations and address any inquiries before the official commencement of the RIPP dates.
Interns must complete the online Introductory Course on Plasma Physics given by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) as a component of their internship period.
Interns must participate full-time for 9 consecutive weeks (40 hours a week, Monday – Friday).
Upon acceptance, additional paperwork and approvals must be completed and signed. All requirements must be met by the communicated deadline.
By the end of the internship, students must:
- Present the results of the summer project to the host institution.
- Complete a report about the internship experience.
- Complete a feedback form to help assess the effectiveness of the program.

Key Dates

November, 2025
- RIPP starts accepting applications.
February 23, 2026
- Application deadline: Last day for students to submit applications, supporting materials, reference letters, and project preferences.
Beginning of March, 2026
- RIPP makes offers to selected students.
May 26 – July 31, 2026*
- Internship Dates.

*Dates are subject to change depending on each school’s dorm availability.

Application

To start the application process:
Please click on Register/Login if you’ve never made an account on FTPP. You will be redirected to the registration/login page. You will need to create an account in order to complete the application. To do so, follow the on-screen instructions and register for an account.
If you’re a returning user and you have already logged in, you may click on Apply to be redirected to your student dashboard.
Once you’re redirected to the student dashboard, this will display all the projects and your submission status. By selecting a project, you can commence or revise your submission.
You have the option to save a draft of your application’s progress and submit it at a later time. To do this, simply click on “save draft”.
If you already have an FTPP account, you can access your student dashboard by visiting the “PORTAL” section in the navigation menu.

Regional Introduction to Plasma Physics (RIPP)

Applications closed

FAQ

Yes. If you are not logged in, you will need to click on “Register / Login”. On the next page, click on “Register”. Please create an account by filling out the needed information and clicking on “Sign Up”. Once you are logged in, you can fill out an application for any of the internships. You can also check your status of completed applications by visiting the student portal from the navigation bar.

No. The RIPP Summer Intern program is only open to those who are enrolled as undergraduates at the time of the internship. Graduating seniors are not eligible.

Most projects do not require U.S. citizenship. Please refer to the project list and descriptions to find out more.

Absolutely! The program is an introduction to the many different fields of plasma physics. At the beginning of the project, the online course will cover the basics of plasma physics.

Each participant will receive a stipend of $6,500, which is a form of student aid that is provided to support the participant’s living and travel expenses during the course of their internship. The stipend will be paid in two installments: (1) a six-week stipend at the beginning of your appointment (after you report for the first day of your internship) and (2) a three-week stipend at the end of your internship (after you have turned in your final reporting requirements).

Interns will have the option to be paid either by mailed checks or by direct deposit. The direct deposit set-up instructions will be emailed upon internship acceptance. Each participant will receive an email that will direct the participant to the necessary form. Direct deposit forms must be emailed directly to the UAH Accounts Payable office (instructions will be given).

Please note it can take up to three or more weeks for stipends to be processed through the university system. You must be prepared to pay any internship-related expenses you incur before you receive your first stipend payment.

Students will be notified of their selection by email from the following address: nsfepscor@uah.edu. If you are selected, please keep checking your email regularly as additional required forms will be emailed to you from this address.

Students submit an online application that includes unofficial transcripts in PDF format from their current college, two reference letters, a short essay, and a resume. Accepted students will be notified by March 2025.

Yes, you can bring your car. For students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, a parking pass will be provided. Students located at other institutions should check with their institution’s coordinator.

Yes, all RIPP participants must attend the online intensive plasma physics course, which happens during the first 2 weeks of the SULI internship at PPPL. The course will occur on or around the second week of June 2026. Exact dates will be communicated when released.

Engaging in additional coursework or employment during the RIPP internship period is strongly discouraged, as students are required to commit to a 40-hour workweek, Monday through Friday.