Missouri State University's Missouri Space Grant Page
The Missouri Space Grant Consortium is a collaboration of Missouri Universities.
The mission of the Missouri Consortium of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program is to maintain and enhance, through the State's research universities and corporate partners, the Nation\u2019s workforce capabilities in aerospace and space related science, engineering, and technology; and to aid in the dissemination of NASA related information to students, faculty, researchers, and the general public.
The specific goals of the Consortium are to inspire, motivate, recruit,
educate, and train students at all academic levels to help meet
Missouri's and NASA's need for skilled, knowledgeable, diverse, and
high-performing professional scientists, engineers, technologists, and
educators in the fields of interest to NASA.
Accepting applications for NASA Graduate Fellows
until May 15, 2012.
The announcement is here (PDF format)
The application form is here (in
OpenOffice format, which is readable by Office 7) or here in doc format.
Accepting applications for NASA interns until May 4,
2012.
To apply complete: 1)
an application (in Word format or
here for OpenOffice format), 2) submit a one page statement expressing
interest in the internship and in pursuing a career in a field of interest
to NASA (astronomy, space science, planetary geology, etc.), 3) an
official current transcript, 4) one or two letters of reference.
Re-applying interns only need to submit numbers 1 and 3.
2012-2013 projects
Put the project codes on your application.
- Project ASB1: Asteroseismology using Kepler space data.
Although the foremost goal of the Kepler mission is to hunt for
extraterrestial Earths, photometric data collected with this spacecraft are
ideal to study pulsating stars. These stars are intrinsically variable and
change their brightness according to surface motions caused by stellar
oscillations. This is similar to Earths seismology. The intern will be
responsible for data reduction and analysis. As a result he/she will
contribute to publications and other presentation of results derived during
this project. A knowledge of Linux or Mac, scripting or programming is a plus.
Advisors for this project are Drs. Andy Baran and/or Mike Reed.
- Project ASB2: Reduction pipeline for CCD reduction.
CCD cameras are commonly used in observational astronomy. Images obtained by
CCD technique require special handling. Then need to be corrected for
instrumental effects and then star fluxes need to be extracted. Fluxes are
the final results and necessary to obtain a light curve for further
processing. A student will prepare a GUI reduction pipeline under Qt or
Python and will be given all algorithms (already implemented in Lazarus)
needed to prepare that program. A knowledge of Qt and C++ or Python is
required. A student will also use that program to deal with real data
learning how to calibrate, reduce and analyze ground-based CCD data. Advisor
for this project is Dr. Andy Baran.
- Project RSP1: Observation and analysis of yellow supergiant stars at Baker Observatory.
Survey a sample of YSG stars using CCD differential photometry in the visual band. Calibrate images using IRAF. Produce light curves of program stars and test for variability using Phase Dispersion Minimization and Welch-Stetson Index. Search for periodicity in any stars found to be variable. Determine location of program stars on the H-R diagram and whether variable or not. Map the limits of the Cepheid Instability Strip on the H-R diagram. Compare to theoretical evolutionary tracks for Cepheids in order to interpret the occurrence of non-variable YSG stars. Advisor for this project is Dr. Robert Patterson.
- Project MDR1: Binary subdwarf B stars using the Kepler
spacecraft and spectral data.
The Kepler spacecraft is continuously looking at several stars from space. Those stars in binaries (two stars orbiting each other) can have their light effected by the other star. We can measure those changes in the light and in addition, we will use spectroscopic data to measure the actual movements of the stars. This student could travel to Kitt Peak if we are allocated time in August/September. Advisors for this project are
Drs. Mike Reed and/or Andy Baran
- Project MDR2: Muticolor and/or time-resolved
spectroscopy of pulsating compact stars.
Many stars pulsate (vibrate in a periodic way) and we can use those pulsations to understand what is going on inside of stars even though we can only see the outsides of stars. This is similar to terrestrial seismology where we use Earthquakes to understand the Earth's insides. In this case we will use data obtained with our 3-CCD instrument GT Cam and/or time-resolved spectroscopy obtained at Kitt Peak. This student will likely travel to Kitt Peak to obtain the data.
- Project MDR3: Survey searching for variable stars.
Randomly looking at the sky, it is possible to detect new phenomena or new members of known types of variable stars. We already have lots of this sort of data and expect more from roboscope. This student would work on these data, searching for and interpreting new types of variable stars.
Student Success
(not a complete listing)
- Laurel Farris
(2010-2012): Accepted for REU programs, summer 2011 and 2012; Featured
in a News-Leader article and
Cliff's Notes (MSU's Interim President);
Observed on the 4 meter and 2.1 meter telescopes at Kitt
Peak National Observatory; observed at Baker Observatory; contributed to 2
professional publications; presented at the American Astronomical Society
meeting in Austin during January 2012.
- Marcus Shadwick
(2011-1012): Observed on the 4 meter and 2.1 meter
telescopes at KittPeak National Observatory; observed at Baker Observatory.
- Lee Hicks
(2009-2012): one of the Baker
Observatory Robotic Autonomous Telescope developers; presented at a telescope
conference in Malaga, Spain during June 2011 and at the Mid-American Regional
Astronomy Conference in Kansas City during April 2011; contributed to 3
professional papers and several conference papers; observer at Baker
Observatory.
- Matthew Thompson
(2009-2011): Currently working for Intuitive Web Solutions, LLC as software engineer;
presented at a telescope conference in Hawaii; contributed to 3 professional
papers; contributed to 5 conference papers; observed at Baker Observatory;
one of the developers of the Baker Observatory Robotic Autonomous Telescope.
- Justin Gilker
(2009-2011): Observed numerous times at Kitt Peak and MDM
observatories in Arizona; contributed to 4 professional papers and 6 conference
papers; became the lead scientist on the Baker Observatory Sub-minute Survey;
presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C. during
January 2010.
- Amanda Quint
(2009-2011): Currently working for
Intuitive Web Solutions, LLC as a programmer;
presented at the Third Kepler Asteroseismology Workshop in Aarhus, Denmark
during June 2010; contributed to 9 journal papers using data from NASA's Kepler
spacecraft.
- Jennifer Bean
(2009-2011): Currently in graduate
school (astronomy) at the University of British Columbia; studied abroad in
The Netherlands; contributed to 1 professional paper; presented at the
American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle during January 2011.
- Joe Eggen
(2004-2007): Received his doctorate
(astronomy) at Georgia State University; contributed to 8 professional
papers; presented at conference in Vienna, Austria; presented at
American Astronomical Society meeting during January 2009
- Grant Gelven
(2004-2007): Currently works at
Wells-Gelven Fractals, LLC; received his Masters in Physics from Washington
University in St. Louis in 2010.
- Shawn Poindexter
(2004-2005): Received his
doctorate in Astrophysics from The Ohio State University; currently
Director of Development at Gravity Jack Custom Software.
- Brian Brondel
(2002-2004): Received his
Masters (astronomy) from Indiana University; currently working as for
a telescope contractor in Tucson, Arizona.
- Melissa Morris
(2001-2003): Received her
doctorate (astrophysics) from the University of Arizona, where she is
now a postdoc in plantary science.