ALPhA’s 2026 Laboratory Immersions

See the ALPhA Laboratory Immersions wiki page for more information about these and past experiments.

ALPhA’s Laboratory Immersion experiences provide participants with two to three days of intensive hands-on work with a single advanced laboratory experiment. Enrollment is limited to two to three participants per experiment to ensure a confidence-building experience. 

The Laboratory Immersions program is partially supported by the Synopsys/Reichert Endowment of the Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation.

Suggestions or proposals for ALPhA Immersions can be submitted via this contact form.

Equipment grants are available to Immersion participants.

The Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation has established a grant program to help purchase apparatus used in Laboratory Immersions. Limitations and exclusions apply, but generally speaking the Foundation may support up to 50% of the cost of the required equipment. Preference will be given to ALPhA members in good standing. See the Reichert Foundation website for more information.

University of South Dakota (SD), July 27-29 and 29-31, 2026

Mentor:  Jing Liu

Austin Peay State University (TN),  June 11-13, 2026

Mentors:  Eugene Donev and Randy Peterson

Reed College (OR),  July 13-14, 2026

Mentor: John Essick

Caltech (CA),  TBD, 2026

Mentor:  Eric Black 

Loyola University of Maryland (MD),   August 17-19, 2026

Mentors:  Mary Lowe and David Hoe

Ithaca College (NY),  June 15-17, 2026

Mentors: Jerome Fung and Matthew Sullivan

Winona State University (MN), June 18-20, 2026

Mentors: Adam Beardsley and Libby Berkhout 

Amherst College (MA), June 22-23, 2026

Mentor:  Ashley Carter

Colgate University (NY), July 28-30,  2026

Mentor: Enrique 'Kiko' Galvez

Thorlabs (NJ), August 11-13, 2026

Mentors: Brandon Mitchell and Eric Kurywczak

Virtual Immersion,  August 11-13, 2026

Mentor: Jed Brody

TeachSpin (Buffalo, NY), June 22-24 or 24-26, 2026

Mentors:  Jonathan Reichert, David Lee, and David Van Baak