The PI will head the Research Experience for Undergraduates site at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in La Serena, Chile. The program will provide an opportunity for six U.S. undergraduate students to engage in independent, supervised research activities in astronomy in collaboration with members of the CTIO scientific staff. As part of the REU program activities, the students gain first-hand experience of the life at an international observatory. In addition to the daily interactions the students have with both staff and visiting astronomers, the U.S. undergraduates also work and live side by side with several Chilean undergraduates participating in a parallel student research program.
The CTIO REU program introduces students to the international character of astronomy, providing a framework that allows US students to experience the life and operations of a major international observatory and the diversity of activities conducted therein. The students spend 10 weeks in Chile, and learn not only how to work and live with their Chilean colleagues but also how to live in a foreign country.
