Snowmass Early Career

TL;DR

The Snowmass Early Career organization engaged early physicists in strategic planning for high energy physics, emphasizing their role in future discoveries and community development.

Contribution

This paper details the expansion and increased involvement of early career physicists in the Snowmass 2021 planning process, highlighting their influence on the future of the field.

Findings

Broadened participation of early career physicists in strategic discussions

Enhanced representation of diverse physics perspectives

Strengthened community engagement and climate within HEPA

Abstract

The Snowmass 2021 strategic planning process provided an essential opportunity for the United States high energy physics and astroparticle (HEPA) community to come together and discuss upcoming physics goals and experiments. As this forward-looking perspective on the field often reaches far enough into the future to surpass the timescale of a single career, consideration of the next generation of physicists is crucial. The 2021 Snowmass Early Career (SEC) organization aimed to unite this group, with the purpose of both educating the newest generation of physicists while informing the senior generation of their interests and opinions. SEC is the latest in a series of the previously dubbed "Snowmass Young" organizations, from 2013 and 2001. This iteration has expanded on these efforts to significantly increase involvement and broaden the representation of the early career community in the process. Early career physicists are the future of the field. They will design, build, and operate next-generation experiments, and put in the work to usher in new discoveries. They are also disproportionately involved in work to improve the climate within HEPA. This document summarizes the work of SEC in consolidating a huge variety of physics perspectives and community opinions towards a bright, strategic future.