Astrophysics Projects on Andromeda, Milky Way and Other Nearby Galaxies for High-School Students

Mentor: Raja (Puragra) GuhaThakurta

Research Internships for Summer 2010:

Summer Research Project Outlines

A total of up to five interns will be selected (one intern has already been selected, so FOUR slots remain), based on their demonstrated interest in the subject, motivation to learn new things, and capacity for analytical thinking. Preference will be given to rising seniors who are willing to commit to working full-time for a period of at least 8 weeks, and ideally up to 10-12 weeks, starting in early June.

To apply, submit the following materials to your school's summer project coordinator. Applications received by Wednesday, March 31, 2010 are guaranteed to receive full consideration (*** NOTE - THE ORIGINAL DEADLINE WAS MARCH 1 BUT IT HAS BEEN EXTENDED BY A MONTH ***):
(1) Current school transcript
(2) A single-paragraph recommendation from each of your physics and math teachers
(3) Brief answers to the following questions based on your reading of this recent press release: What aspect of the press release did you find most interesting and why? What question would you like to have answered after reading the press release?

General Research Description:

Raja GuhaThakurta's current research interests (summary)
The SPLASH project (summary)
New tidal streams found in the Andromeda galaxy: recent press release.
"Birth and Evolution of Galaxies" by Sandra Faber and Raja GuhaThakurta: 2001 lecture at UCSC (1-hour video).

Independent Study:

Project Outlines (for Castilleja Upper School Students - spring term 2010)

Events:

Brown bag lunch for Castilleja Upper School students - Thursday, January 21, 2010
Speaker: Raja GuhaThakurta (speaker bio and talk summary)

Useful Astronomy Links:

Interactive website about the Hubble Space Telescope (courtesy: IMAX Hubble 3D movie)
Short video zooming out into the Universe (courtesy: American Museum of Natural History)
Educational website containing many interactive demos (courtesy: University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Interactive 3D view of the Milky Way and its dwarf satellite galaxies (courtesy: Swinburne University)
Educational interactive website about black holes (courtesy: Space Telescope Science Institute)
Movie showing the motion of stars around the black hole at the Milky Way's center (scroll down to the 4th video on the page)