McDonald Observatory and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope as an REU Site

机构：德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校pi: Shetrone， MatthewA本科生研究经验（REU）站点将建立在德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校-麦当劳天文台，该天文台位于德克萨斯州西部的戴维斯山脉。在Matthew Shetrone博士的指导下，麦当劳REU计划的目标将是鼓励学生对天文台支持，天文研究和工程的兴趣。每年夏天，六名学生（第一年四名）将由一名资深天文学家或工程师（机械、光学或电气）指导十周。尖端的研究项目将使用麦克唐纳天文台的专业设施，包括9.2米的霍比-埃伯利望远镜，这是一种创新的仪器，也是世界上第三大的望远镜。每位REU参与者将接受现场导师的日常指导，并融入天文台的支持和研究团队。每位学生还将有机会参加最近专门设立的麦当劳天文台游客中心的公共教育项目。在仲夏，学生们将参加一个有组织的实地考察，前往新墨西哥州附近的其他天文台。整个夏天，来访的天文学家每周一次的研讨会将使学生接触到广泛的现代天体物理学研究。本科学生将从美国各地的大学招募。一项特别积极的招生活动将针对西南和中西部各州大学的少数族裔。麦当劳REU项目的目标是招收同等数量的对工程和天文学研究感兴趣的学生。

Proposal ID: AST-0243745Institution: University of Texas at AustinPI: Shetrone, MatthewA Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site will be established at the University of Texas at Austin - McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains of far west Texas. Under the direction of Dr. Matthew Shetrone, the objective of the McDonald REU program will be to encourage student interest in observatory support, astronomical research and engineering. For ten weeks each summer, six students (four the first year) will be mentored by a senior astronomer or engineer (mechanical, optical or electrical). The cutting-edge research projects will use the McDonald Observatory's professional facilities, including the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope, an innovative instrument and the third largest telescope in the world. Each REU participant will receive daily direction from their on-site mentor and be integrated into the Observatory support and research team. Each student will also be given an opportunity to participate in public education programs at the recently-dedicated McDonald Observatory Visitors' Center. At mid-summer, students will participate in an organized field trip to other nearby observatories in New Mexico. Throughout the summer, weekly seminars by visiting astronomers will give students exposure to a broad range of modern astrophysical research. Undergraduate students will be recruited from universities across the United States. An especially aggressive recruiting campaign will target minorities at universities in the southwestern and midwestern states. The McDonald REU program's goal will be to recruit equal numbers of students interested in engineering and astronomical research.