Dr. Matthew Muterspaugh, Dr. Geoffrey Burks, and a postdoctoral scholar from Tennessee State University (TSU) are partnering with Dr. Jerry Edelstein and Dr. David Erskine from University of California, Berkeley to promote the pursuit of graduate studies for TSU students and to advance the astronomical application of Externally Dispersed Interferometry (EDI) at Berkeley. Three programs support these goals. First, new programs for engaging astronomy students will be built through curriculum development efforts. These tools are publicly available so other universities can use them to encourage students. Second, Berkeley's highly successful Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) team will help TSU to implement a centralized, campus-wide system for connecting students with local, on-campus research teams, improving student access to immersive learning through real-world research experiences. Third, TSU and Berkeley will work together to build advanced astronomy instrumentation in the form of the "EDI-Testbed". This precision instrument, based on Berkeley-patented technology, will allow detection of new planetary systems via the highly successful radial-velocity measurement of stars. It will operate at TSU's 2-meter Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope with nightly cadence, a unique capability that will bring new discoveries to exoplanet research.
These three programs will improve astronomy instruction at TSU and continue to promote Berkeley as a leader in innovative and revolutionary technological invention. The new centralized campus-wide repository for TSU undergraduate research opportunities will improve the educational experiences for all TSU students, not just those in astronomy. It will streamline the process for them to find research programs in which to become involved. The EDI-Testbed technology development will have a direct impact on the success of other Berkeley EDI instruments, including the near-infrared TEDI instrument. TEDI will be capable of detecting earthlike planets in the habitable zones of low temperature stars. The detection of habitable earthlike planets can impact basic philosophical questions including that of life's origins and roles in the universe.
