CTIO
Undergraduate
Astronomy
Research
Assistantships
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CTIO |
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The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a division of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO), anticipates offering five Undergraduate Research Assistant positions during the northern winter semester of 2003. The students will be participants in the NOAO Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program in astronomy at CTIO, funded by the National Science Foundation.
About CTIO - CTIO is the U.S. national center for astronomy in the Southern hemisphere. The Observatory headquarters are located in La Serena, Chile, about 300 miles north of Santiago. The telescopes are located atop Cerro Tololo, about 60 miles east of La Serena, on the western slope of the Andes at an elevation of 6800 feet. For more information about Chile, you can check out CTIO's Travel to Chile page at http://www.ctio.noao.edu/misc/travel.html
Research Projects - Student participants will work on specific research projects in close collaboration with members of the CTIO scientific and technical staff. Research projects vary from year to year. The REU program at CTIO emphasizes observational techniques and provides opportunities for direct observational experience using CTIO's state of the art telescopes and instrumentation. The program will also include a series of seminars given by the scientific and technical staff of the Observatory to introduce students to the basics of modern observational astronomy and observational techniques.
Dates - The REU program at CTIO will run for 10 weeks, from approximately January 13 to March 22, 2003. Applicants should ensure that they will be available during that time, and allow for 1-2 days additional travel time at each end (travel to Chile will commence on January 10, 2003).
Salary and Costs - Positions are full-time with a salary of $385/week. Travel costs to La Serena and back are covered, and furnished housing is provided on the AURA/CTIO compound for approximately $175/month.
Eligibility - Participants must be enrolled as full-time undergraduate students during the REU program, and must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
The completed application must include: (1) the official application form available at http://www.ctio.noao.edu/REU/ctioreu_2003/application.html, (2) a letter from applicant detailing scientific experience, educational background, and career goals, (3) official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, and (4) letters of recommendation from two or three people who can evaluate the applicant's ability, experience, and potential. Letters of recommendation may be emailed to ctioreu@noao.edu and hrnoao@noao.edu, but should be followed by a signed paper copy. For more details, see the application form.
For additional information, interested students and faculty advisors are encouraged to contact the CTIO REU Site Director, Dr. Alan Whiting or Drs. Nicole van der Bliek or Chris Smith at ctioreu@noao.edu.
General information about NOAO/CTIO can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.ctio.noao.edu.
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