More than a hundred miles from campus, dozens of UC Davis students are using some of the most advanced facilities in the world to earn degrees in subjects like laser science, plasma physics and computation. They are graduate students in the Department of Applied Science working at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

They may not get up to Davis much, but they don't seem to be missing it.

"I've basically only been there to meet my committee, and for the oral qualifying exam," said Joe Koning, who is studying computational science with UC Davis' Garry Rodrigue and Livermore lab researcher Dan White.

The facilities and expertise at the Livermore lab more than make up for isolation from campus life, it seems. For Koning, being at Livermore means access to powerful supercomputers.

"We can get more supercomputer time, and more access to different platforms and architectures, than is possible anywhere else," he said.

Physicist Edward Teller, then director of the Livermore lab, founded the Department of Applied Science and became the first department chair in 1963.

"Teller always intended UC Davis to be the connection between UC and the national labs," said department chair Rick Freeman.

That link is embodied by the Department of Applied Science, with its own building, Hertz Hall, just outside the gate. All department faculty have 50 percent appointments at the national lab, and there are a number of Lawrence Livermore scientists with adjunct appointments. UC Davis faculty have offices "outside the fence," mainly at Hertz Hall, but have labs inside. The department also has office and lab space on campus, mainly in Engineering III. A shuttle bus runs between Hertz Hall and the main campus up to three times a day.

Current students and staff praised the intellectual climate at the lab, with its high concentration of experts in physical sciences, engineering and computing.

"If a laser in the lab breaks down, we can find another one without interruption," said Prissana Thamboon, who studies non-linear optics. Her thesis supervisor, applied science professor Denise Krol, agreed. Because students need not spend as much time building equipment, they can sometimes get more done than they might achieve at a university lab, Krol said.

"Working here, you get to know a lot of people working on lasers," added Thamboon.

"If my adviser doesn't know the answer, I can always walk down the corridor," said Andy Bayramian, who completed his Ph.D. in laser science last year and now works as a scientist at the national lab.

Since 2000, the first two years of graduate school classes have been taught at the Davis campus. All students at LLNL have a thesis supervisor with a university appointment and a technical supervisor at the laboratory.

"With multiple advisers, someone's always in town," said Bayramian. The department's graduate program emphasized flexibility, he said. "It's possible to write your own ticket here, and it's hard to find that kind of degree program at a university."

Student life at Livermore has advantages beyond world-class equipment and access to expertise. The lab has a small but thriving student community, with students from all over the country, said Thamboon. And there is the proximity to the Bay Area and San Francisco, about 45 minutes away by BART from Dublin.

As a national lab, security can occasionally be irksome though. The gates are guarded, and everyone needs a pass that defines their access to different areas and facilities. Non-U.S. citizens generally have more restricted access than citizens, which can affect overseas students.

"It's a bit more hassle, but it's really just paperwork," said Bayramian.

Because Hertz Hall is "outside the fence," it is a popular venue for national lab staff to hold informal meetings and events, according to Freeman.

Some applied science students, like Koning, are "student employees" of the national laboratory. Student employees are half-time employees of the lab during the academic year and full-time employees over the summer. The lab pays their salary and tuition costs. Another scheme allows full-time lab staff to take time off to pursue a higher degree.

Although a major area of research at LLNL is on maintenance of nuclear weapons stockpiles, UC rules forbid students from carrying out classified research, Freeman said.

The Department of Applied Science also administers a scheme offering graduate student fellowships at LLNL, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratory at Livermore, said Freeman.

Students are supervised jointly by a UC Davis faculty member and a staff scientist at the national laboratory. The department offers about 20 fellowships a year, offering up to six-year stipends. The scheme is open to all UC Davis faculty with interests in physical, biological and computer sciences.