in addition to stipend of $600/wk we provide a food allowance ($80/week), travel cost to/from Madison, accommodation, and likely participation in the following winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society
Preferred Education:
Current Undergraduate
Additional Information:
9 openings available.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Astronomy and the Astrophysics group in the Department of Physics have been hosting a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the past twenty years. During the summer of 2023, a minimum of eight students will work in Madison with faculty and research scientists in these departments for ten weeks. The program main objective is to provide students with high-quality research projects, experienced mentors, and a supportive research atmosphere. Student projects cover a broad range of scientific areas, with a new focus on the origins of life in the Universe (NSF’s ”Understanding the Rules of Life”) and multi-messenger astrophysics (”Windows on the Universe”), both supported by a recent cluster-hire initiative at UW-Madison. All REU students are encouraged to present the research results at the subsequent American Astronomical Society Meeting.
Projects may include work in the following areas:
astrophysical detectors
data analysis in cosmology
X-ray astrophysics
neutrino astrophysics
neutron stars, white dwarfs, and black holes
observational stellar astronomy
star formation
observational interstellar medium
extragalactic astronomy
theoretical work in galactic dynamics
theoretical neutrino astrophysics
theoretical work in the chemistry and dynamics of interstellar matter
Facilities include the 3.5m WIYN optical telescope, the 11m SALT telescope, and the Northern Extended Millimeter Array; some projects may involve observing with or working with data from these facilities. Participants will not be able to visit our large South Polar neutrino detector (Amanda/IceCube), but can work with its observations. Students can also work with data from Antarctic balloon-based cosmic microwave background experiments, rocket-borne X-ray detectors, Spitzer infrared observations of the Galactic plane, and the Wisconsin H-alpha Mapper. The program includes a directed research project, an engaging weekly lecture series, organized weekend field trips, and other less structured social events – perhaps Summerfest in Milwaukee. Students will also be encouraged to participate in the successful (and fun!) NSF/Wisconsin outreach program Universe in the Park.
Our REU program includes a stipend and food allowance of $6,800, as well as reasonable travel expenses to/from Madison. Students will be housed with those participating in other summer research programs. They will be invited to participate in several interdisciplinary programs including discussions on scientific ethics, and a university-wide welcome and orientation. They will have access to library and campus recreational facilities, such as sailing on Lake Mendota.
Currently, participants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. We highly value diversity among our participants; women, members of under-represented minorities, and students from small colleges are all encouraged to apply.
For further information, please visit our website (https://www.astro.wisc.edu/undergraduate-program/uw-madison-reu-program/) or email us at reu@astro.wisc.edu
The UW-Madison Astronomy Department’s mission is to conduct cutting edge research and to offer students and postdocs the highest quality of education. We conduct research in diverse areas of astronomy, from the physics of stars to cosmology, in observation and theory, and through the construction of cutting edge instruments for our complement of telescopes. We pride ourselves in an inclusive, diverse, and friendly scientific environment.
The department consists of 128 members, with currently 15 faculty members, 8 scientists, 4 postdocs, and 26 graduate students. We offer an undergraduate major in Astronomy and Physics and graduate studies towards a Ph.D. in astrophysics. Regular seminars, group meetings and lunches, and many intra- and inter-department collaborations enrich the exchange of ideas that is vital to developing new ideas and to perfect scientific inquiry. Undergraduate students from other institutions are welcome to join our 10-week Research Experience for Undergraduates program during the summer and get hands-on research experience working with our faculty, scientists and postdocs.
From a traditional strength in observational astronomy and space- and ground-base...d instrumentation, and a long history of first rate research in the study of astrophysical gases and the interstellar medium, the department is pursuing traditional as well as new avenues, with a recent emphasis on the observational and theoretical study of structure formation and the physics of stars.
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