Astronomy and Undergraduate Education in Michigan
Astronomy is one of the very few sciences which holds an innate and
immediate interest for almost everyone and is an ideal vehicle for developing
the skills needed to productively use the tools of modern technology for
both arts and science majors. SOAR will bring the excitement of research
at the frontier directly to the university via remote observing (which can
be seen in any class room).
The SOAR telescope, will allow a broad range of topics to be introduced
to undergraduate students. South America provides an excellent example
of a region which shares a similar history of settlement with the United
States but has a very different culture. Some examples of how this difference
can be personalized by our involvement with SOAR are: language, geology
and geography, civics and economics. Main-stream students will be introduced
is a truely innovative way to a multi-disciplinary experience which centers
on science.
Exploring the Universe in the 21th Century
One of the important functions of a research university is to train
the next generation in the techniques of scientific inquiry. This training
is done as an apprenticeship, with students working alongside professors,
learning science as well as teaching skills. The training itself is not
restricted to the subject at hand but often can be transferred to a wide
variety of technical problems (such as image processing for medical purposes
which arises from experience with astronomical image processing).
Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, using SOAR, will be at
the forefront of 21st century astronomy. The Michigan astronomers who
will be using SOAR have outstanding international reputations.
For a short description (and pictures)
of their current work, click on
the buttons below:
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star spots and flares on very small stars
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the interiors of stars, their ages and distances, using pulsating
variable stars.
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the chemistry of the early universe by discovering its oldest stars.
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the dynamical evolution of the Milky Way and tidal disruption of nearby
galaxies.
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dark matter in distant galaxies.
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the energy sources in
active galactic nuclei.
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the ultimate fate of the universe.
With these as a base, SOAR will provide a powerful new force for the
future. Its infrared abilities will extend these studies into the field
of star formation, where objects are shrouded in dust and only observable
at infrared wavelengths. It will aide investigation of the stars in the
galactic center, which are masked at visible wavelengths. It will help us
study the stratification of the stars in the inner Galaxy. It will permit
us to see deep into the regions of the universe which are so far back in
time that even new galaxies are shrouded in dust.
ON TO MSU's ASTRONOMY CENTER
Susan Simkin (Simkin@grus.pa.msu.edu) last updated: 8 Jan '97
