The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site program at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO offers to six undergraduate students each year the opportunity to engage in challenging research activities with scientists working at the forefront of astronomy and astrophysics. REU students are hired as full-time research assistants to work with Tucson-based NOAO astronomers on selected research projects for a period of twelve weeks over the summer. As part of their research activities, REU students gain first-hand experience with KPNO's state-of-the art telescopes and instrumentation, and develop expertise in the tools of data analysis specific to astronomical research. All REU students are encouraged to attend (at the expense of the KPNO REU program) the American Astronomical Society winter meeting following their program to present a poster or to deliver a paper. In addition to the research project, the KPNO REU site program features weekly scientific lectures and colloquia by NOAO and visiting astronomers, informal lunches and group discussions, field trips to other telescope facilities in the Southwest, and a variety of recreational and social activities.
The KPNO REU site program is a vital part of NOAO's ongoing commitment to meet the nation's need for the training of future scientists. This program provides its REU participants valuable exposure to non-Ph.D. options for those interested in astronomy, such as instrumentation, technical support, education, and public outreach. The broadest goals of the KPNO REU site program are (1) to encourage undergraduates to pursue careers in science, (2) to foster high levels of scientific literacy among the future science, education, and technology workforce, (3) to stimulate general awareness of the remarkable achievements of U.S. astronomy, and (4) to inspire interest in the future progress and welfare of U.S. science. For the KPNO REU site program the emphasis is placed on recruiting women or students from minorities that are underrepresented in the scientific community, as well as students from institutions lacking access to first-rate research staff and facilities.
This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the National Science Foundation REU program.
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site program at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in challenging research activities with scientists working at the forefront of astronomy and astrophysics. This project was funded for the five-year period from 2008 to 2012 for an annual REU summer program at KPNO in Tucson, Arizona. Thirty-one qualified applicants were employed (typically 6 per year) to work as full-time NOAO employees for a period of 10 to 12 weeks during the summer between June and August. Emphasis was placed on recruiting women or students from minorities that are underrepresented in the scientific community, as well as students from institutions lacking access to first-rate research staff and facilities. REU students were hired as full-time research assistants to work with Tucson-based NOAO astronomers on selected research projects. As part of their research activities, REU students gained first-hand experience with KPNO's state-of-the art telescopes and instrumentation, and developed expertise in the tools of data analysis specific to astronomical research. All REU students were encouraged to attend (at the expense of the KPNO REU program) the American Astronomical Society winter meeting following their summer program to present a poster or deliver a paper. In addition to the research project, the KPNO REU site program featured weekly scientific lectures and colloquia by NOAO and visiting astronomers, informal lunches and group discussions, field trips to other telescope facilities in the Southwest, and a variety of recreational and social activities. Working and interacting on a daily basis with scientists from diverse research specialties and subdisciplines, REU students at NOAO were exposed to many different aspects of a professional career in astronomy. This day-to-day exposure to a wide range of scientific and technical occupations in astronomy and engineering -- available only at a national observatory -- is one of the chief benefits of the KPNO REU site program. Intellectual Merit: The KPNO REU site program involved undergraduates in challenging ongoing research projects of substantive scientific merit. The projects were usually related to high-priority research programs of the national observatory and sometimes lead to publishable results. Careful matching of the expressed scientific interests of the individual applicant with the research needs and expertise of the individual REU mentor accounts for the success of previous KPNO REU site programs -- as measured by the high percentage (>80% over the last fifteen years) of former participants who have gone on to do graduate school in astrophysics or have pursued a career in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, as well as the impressive number of research papers and articles published by former students. Broader Impacts: The KPNO REU site program is a vital part of NOAO's ongoing commitment to meet the nation's need for the training of future scientists. This program provides its REU participants valuable exposure to non-Ph.D. options for those interested in astronomy, such as instrumentation, technical support, education, and public outreach. The broadest goals of the KPNO REU site program are (1) to encourage undergraduates to pursue careers in science, (2) to foster high levels of scientific literacy among the future STEM workforce, (3) to stimulate general awareness of the remarkable achievements of U.S. astronomy, and (4) to inspire interest in the future progress and welfare of U.S. science.
