9351887 Quigley The aim of this project is to develop an undergraduate astronomical imaging laboratory. This laboratory enables physics majors during their junior year to acquire the know- ledge, skills, and experience needed to undertake astronomy research projects during the following year. To accomplish this goal, the department is purchasing a CCD charge-coupled device camera and controller system, three Sun SPARCstation computers, and associated peripheral equipment. The CCD imaging system enables students to carry out both laboratory imaging experiments and actual star-field imaging using the department's Celestron-8 telescopes. The Sun workstation allows students to carry out detailed analysis of CCD images and NASA satellite telescope spectra of astronomical objects. IRAF, the powerful astronomy image analysis software package used by professional astronomers throughout the world, is the primary tool used for data analysis. The Sun workstations are networked and connected to Internet so that data can be routinely retrieved from NASA centers and on-line astronomy data services. Students also are able to transfer data to and from observatories and other universities that they may work at during the summer after their junior year. This project is significant because it enables undergraduate physics majors to become actively engaged in astronomy research. Students also become "plugged in" to the modern astronomical community by becoming users of NASA's Astrophysical Data System and other astronomy data archives and services that are available over Internet. It enables Western to offer a solid Astronomy Concentration within the Physics B.S. degree, a concentration that gives students a good idea of what to expect if they go on to graduate school or other professional work in astronomy. ***
