The Department is purchasing a 4.5 meter radio antenna and motors, to be used in an instructional radio telescope. Electronics and test equipment from a recently decommissioned radio telescope are being used to complete the system. The telescope is capable of a wide variety of radiometric and spectrometric observations. Projects include measurements of the flux density and spectra of extragalactic radio sources and galactic H II regions, observations of neutral hydrogen in the galaxy, and study of the effects of the atmosphere on radio wave propagation. This instrument benefits the education of a wide variety of undergraduate students. It is used as a demonstration device in a large introductory course for nonscience students. Students in the freshman course for physics and astronomy majors use the telescope in several laboratory experiments. Finally, the radio telescope is the centerpiece of a laboratory for upper level undergraduate and graduate students in astronomy, physics, and engineering. In this course students are taught the rudiments of instrumentation in radio astronomy and radiophysics.
