  An outstanding problem in heliospheric physics is understanding the
acceleration of solar energetic particles (SEP) in coronal mass ejections
(CMEs) and flares. A fundamental question is whether the acceleration occurs in
interplanetary space, or near the Sun. Recent work has shown that CME-driven
shocks may produce SEPs while still below 5 solar radii. In this work we
explore SEP acceleration during the onset of CMEs and shocks even lower in the
corona, using realistic suprathermal spectra, for a selection of events. We
have calculated quiet-time, pre-event suprathermal particle spectra from 1 AU
observations, and scaled them back to the low corona to serve as seed spectra.
For each event, AIA observations and the CASHeW framework were used to model
the compressive/shock wave kinematics and its interaction with the corona. The
proton acceleration was then modeled using an analytic diffusive shock
acceleration model as the shock waves propagate between 1.05 and 1.3 solar
radii. We demonstrate the capability of low coronal shock-related EUV waves to
accelerate protons to multi-MeV energies in a matter of minutes, in the very
early stages of the associated solar eruptions. We find that strong proton
energization occurs for high values of the density jump, Alfven Mach number,
and shock speed. In future work the results of this early-stage shock
acceleration will be used to model the continued acceleration higher in the
corona.
