Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site - Arecibo Observatory Summer Student Program

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Through participation in the active research environment of a professional scientist rather than through student exercises, students experience the full breadth of scientific research from defining the question to be answered or explored, through data-taking and data interpretation steps, to the preparation of a published paper or public presentation of their work. For more than 35-years, the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center has sponsored a summer student research program at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Under this award, this work will continue as students work as professional research collaborators with members of the Observatory scientific and technical staff on the on-going research programs of the mentoring staff members for ten-week during the summer. The intellectual goals are, (1) To enable students to explore a career as a research scientist through participation in frontier scientific research projects at a national research facility; (2) To educate students in the multi-disciplinary scientific fields that are actively carried out at the Arecibo Observatory, including radio astronomy, radar astronomy and the atmospheric and space sciences; (3) To expose students to hands-on experience with state-of-the-art technology; and (4) To give students a real-world experience that helps them to evaluate career options and in preparing them for graduate studies. Much of the research in which the students participate leads to publications in scholarly journals or to presentations that the student will make to professional organizations such as a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. In addition, this Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site has a goal to achieve a multi-cultural, gender-balanced, summer student body selected from both Puerto Rican colleges and universities, and from mainland U.S. schools. During the course of the summer, an introduction to the people and culture of Puerto Rico is presented through a program of invited speakers, and by planned group excursions to the many natural and historical attractions on the island. This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences and the NSF Division of Atmospheric Sciences under the NSF REU program.