<b>PHYSICS GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM</b><br>Parton Dynamics in High Energy Proton Proton Collisions at PHENIX<br>

In general we think of the proton as composed of 3 point like valence quarks, but in reality the structure of the proton is significantly more complicated. Investigating the interactions of quarks and gluons, collectively known as partons, to better understand nucleon structure is one of the primary goals of the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). RHIC is the only facility in the world that is capable of colliding transversely or longitudinally polarized proton beams, at center of mass energies of 62-510 GeV. The PHENIX detector is well suited to study partonic interactions due to its electromagnetic calorimetry at midrapidity and forward rapidity. In this talk I will give an introduction to the surprisingly complex structure of the proton and discuss the most recent data set taken at PHENIX in which a new detector was installed to better probe the dynamics of partons within strong-force bound states.

Lunch will be served in the Don Meyer Common Room at 11:50 a.m.