University of Wyoming REU Summer 2007


Table of Contents


What is REU? Why and how should I apply?
What was my research project?
What else did I do in Wyoming?

What is REU? Why and how should I apply?


The Research Experience for Undergraduates program (REU) is funded by the National Science Foundation. REU is a wonderful opportunity to participate in research from many different areas of science. For more information, check out the website by clicking here: REU Information.

What was my research project?


I had the opportunity to go to the University of Wyoming in Laramie for astrophysics research. I worked with Professor Chip Kobulnicky and fellow REU student Georgi Chunev.
We looked at stars in the Galactic plane using long slit spectroscopy at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO). Click here for the star list that we used to observe from: source list. The information in the columns is as follows: numerical number, star name, right ascention, declination, 0, 0, 2000.0, |, J-band, (J minus K)-band, (K minus eight microns)-band.
Georgi and I had three runs (about two weeks total) to WIRO. We were able to set up and run the telescope by mid summer. We observed 24 stars from the list.
After observing the stars, we used the program iraf to reduce the star spectra. Reducing the spectra means to take away the impurities. We subtracted the biases and divided by the flats. This accounts for impurities from the telescope and from the night sky. We removed the effects of cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are energetic particles from space which penetrate Earth's atmosphere. They appear as small bright specks on the slit picture.
After the spectra was reduced, the next step was to classify the stars and determine what type they are. This was accomplished by comparing them to stars which have already been classified. Below are spectral figures and classifications of some of the stars we observed from the list:
The x-axis is the wavelength of light coming from the star (measured in Angstroms) and the y-axis shows the intensity of each absorbtion or emission line.
For a list of 22 spectral figures, classifications, and stellar atlases, please click: StarSpectra.

What else did I do in Wyoming?


Each weekend the REU group was encouraged to have fun, travel, and relax. We camped, visited Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Lake Hatti, hiked Medicine Bow Peak, Crater Lake, Vedauwoo, and Happy Jack.

We even had a six day paid vacation to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.
Pictures of Mount Rushmore and Old Faithful compliments of Meghan Sullivan.