REU Site: Solar Physics at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This grant will continue an ongoing Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), in which students will carry out individual research projects in solar physics under the supervision of CfA senior staff scientists and engineers for ten weeks during the summer. The student projects involve numerical modeling, data analysis from space missions currently being supported at the CfA, such as Hinode, SDO, IRIS, Wind, and DISCOVR, or engineering projects related to solar instrumentation being built at the CfA, depending on the students' interests and abilities. The target group of students consists of undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines, with a preference for underrepresented groups in STEM fields and students from small colleges where there are few research opportunities. The program will encourage minority student applications through contacts with other minority-serving internship programs on campus, recommendations from professional contacts at minority serving institutions, and a broad advertising campaign targeted at minority colleges and universities. Since the projects are designed to be part of cutting edge solar physics research, student projects will frequently result in joint professional publications or presentations with their CfA mentors, providing undergraduates with valuable motivation and career development experiences. Since Solar Physics is taught at relatively few colleges and universities, this program provides an important service to the discipline. With its strong Space Weather component it has the double benefit to society of adding to our understanding of potential space hazards. Moreover, former participants of this program have reported that the exposure to professional research in a university environment has helped them to decide whether to continue their education in graduate school, and whether or not to pursue research as a profession. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.