REU Site: Astronomy in Hawaii

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program at the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaii will be continued for an additional three years and will expand beyond the island of Oahu to include faculty mentors at the IfA Hilo and staff astronomers at Gemini North Observatory on the island of Hawaii. Each year, ten undergraduates from across the country will spend their summer carrying out cutting-edge research in areas including solar, planetary, stellar, star-formation and extragalactic astronomy. The students will give a talk on their work to the IfA staff at an REU symposium at the end of the summer and will present a poster at a national meeting during the following fall or winter. The students will also take part in a multi-wavelength observing project using the University of Hawaii 88-inch optical/infrared telescope and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea. In addition to the mentored research and observing experience, there will be a research seminar given by IfA faculty and weekly lunch meetings with the PIs and graduate students. The REU astronomy program at Hawaii has served as an important vehicle for minority student participation in science: in the seven years of operation to date, the percentage of female and ethnic minority students has been 66% and 17% respectively. Over the three year lifetime of this program, it is anticipated that 30 talented undergraduates will receive an outstanding research experience, including participating in observing runs at optical and radio wavelengths at the best astronomy site in the United States and exposure at a national meeting. This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the National Science Foundation REU program.