Professors Receive $386,000 from NSF for Undergraduate Astronomy Research

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Matt Wood and Terry Oswalt, Florida Institute of Technology professors in the Department of Physics and Space Sciences, were awarded $386,000 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the ongoing Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Intern Program.

For the next three summers, 10 top undergraduate students will be selected from about 100 applicants for internships. Students will work one-on-one with faculty mentors from several of the 10 SARA Consortium university members. The internship also includes a four-night observing run at the SARA 0.9 –meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory outside of Tucson, Ariz.

Research done by students is published in the Journal of the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy and is presented at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Since 1995, Wood and Oswalt have directed the SARA REU program, which they consider one of the flagship activities of the SARA Consortium. In addition to Florida Tech, other SARA members are: East Tennessee State University, Florida International University, Valdosta State University, Clemson University, Ball State University, Agnes Scott College, The University of Alabama, Valparaiso University and Butler University.