Research Opportunities: UA Undergraduate Research Grants

The University will award grants to undergraduates, typically around $800 - $1,000, to support "personalized research endeavors." Students must submit proposals with support of a faculty member. There is no restriction in the area of research. Applications may be obtained from the Honors College, in Slonaker House, Room 106. Call 621-6901 for more information, or see the posted announcement on the undergrad bulletin board outside Room 203.

Research Opportunities: Space Grant

Are you interested in getting paid to work on a space science related research project next year? The University's Space Grant Program will hire about 40 students next year as undergraduate interns. The Space Grant Undergraduate Research Internships provide paid support for 10-20 hours per week, to work with a faculty member on a research project. Any full-time undergraduate student at the University who is a U.S. citizen is eligible to apply, and competition is stiff. But if you have a strong academic record and an interest in this program, we strongly encourage you to apply. In most years the program has supported several astronomy majors.

If you would like to apply for an internship, the application deadline is usually in early May. Application forms may be obtained from the Astronomy Department Office (Room N204) or from Susan Brew in the Space Science building. A poster describing the program is located at the undergraduate bulletin board outside Room 203 or see the  Space Grant Web site.

Financial Aid: Departmental Scholarships

The Astronomy Department awards several undergraduate scholarships each academic year. All scholarships are restricted to declared Astronomy majors, and provide support for two semesters. Some scholarships carry other requirements as listed below. The number of scholarships and the amount awarded varies from year to year, but generally we make between 5 and 10 awards in amounts ranging from $500 to $2,500 per year.   All students who meet the selection criteria for one or more of these awards are invited to apply for a scholarship. Students who have received scholarships in previous years are eligible to re-apply for another award. Scholarship application forms are distributed to all Astronomy majors in the winter issue of the departmental Newsletter. Application deadlines are normally set for mid-March. Award decisions are made by a faculty committee and are subject to approval by the University Financial Aid Office. Awards are usually announced around April 15.

Glenn C. Purviance Scholarships: Awarded to outstanding juniors and seniors (apply in spring of sophomore year or later). Primary selection criterion is academic performance.

William F. Lucas/San Diego Astronomy Association Scholarships: Awarded to juniors and seniors with a strong commitment to a career in astronomy (apply in spring of sophomore year or later). Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Vesto Melvin Slipher Scholarship: Named in memory of one of Arizona's most famous astronomers. Available to all majors, but is generally awarded to an outstanding student with financial needs. Value varies, usually around $500.

Lela E. Booher Memorial Scholarship: Awarded to unmarried upper division students in the Biological Sciences or Astronomy. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.5.

Financial Aid:  Teaching-Related Job Opportunities

Every year the Astronomy Department hires 10-20 undergraduate students to assist in the teaching program. Preference is given to our own majors. The hourly wage depends on experience and the level of responsibility involved. Besides providing some extra money, these jobs provide you with some experience in teaching related activities, which can often be very rewarding on its own.

Below we list the positions that are expected to be available next year. We also list the qualifications we normally expect for the jobs. We will occasionally relax these requirements in an exceptional case, but they provide a general indication of the experience required.

Hiring decisions are usually made over the summer and early in the fall, after our teaching budget and graduate teaching assignments are determined. If you are interested in working in one of these positions, watch for the application form that is included with the April issue of the Astronomy Newsletter.

Telescope Operator: These individuals run the campus telescopes on Monday-Thursday evenings for the introductory courses. It involves one or two sessions of 3.5 hours per week. Qualifications: GPA of 2.25 or higher.

Exam Proctor:  Assists in administration and machine grading of exams in introductory courses. Hours vary. Qualifications: GPA of 2.25 or higher.

Grader: Grading of homework and/or lab assignments for introductory courses. Hours vary. Qualifications: Completion of ASTR 300a, and GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Computer Lab Monitor/Tutor: Monitoring of undergraduate computer lab, Room 208, and providing tutoring help to students in introductory astronomy courses. Hours are flexible and are to be arranged with the faculty supervisor. Qualifications: completion of ASTR 300a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Teacher's Aide:  Participate in the instruction in introductory lab courses. Since this involves major teaching responsibilities, eligibility is restricted to very highly qualified students. Qualifications: Completion of at least a year of upper division astronomy courses (300ab and 302) and GPA of 3.25 or higher.

Computer Facilities for Majors

The Astronomy Department has computers in Room 208 that are available to Astronomy majors when that room is not being used by a class (such as Phys 305).  The room is normally open Monday-Friday from 9AM to 5PM.

Besides a variety of PC-based software, these computers can be used as terminals on the Observatory local network, providing access to all the software tools available -- for example, e-mail, Web-browsers, and astronomy data reduction packages.

Astronomy majors can have personal accounts on the network. To set yours up, see Jeff Fookson in Room 366 at Steward Observatory.

Information about applying to the U of A

For Further Information, contact: John Bieging