REU Site: Astronomy and Geoscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Haystack Observatory

The Haystack Observatory REU program will host 10 students for 10 weeks each summer, to work with mentors on research projects spanning astronomy, geoscience, space science and instrumentation. Many of these projects make use of major on-site facilities and instrumentation, and all are linked through an overarching radio science theme, providing a focus that allows students to readily relate to each other’s projects and build a mutually supportive community during the program.

The program emphasizes student engagement in, and meaningful contribution to, genuine cutting edge fundamental research projects. Students are exposed to all stages of the research process, from the initial scientific question, to instrument conceptualization, all the way through to scientific interpretation of the data and publication of the results.

The REU projects are ambitious, engaging and rewarding, with a sustained high rate of student co-authorship on refereed scientific publications and attendance at scientific conferences. Some projects are led by Haystack postdoctoral researchers, who gain valuable mentoring experience via the program.

Students are provided with a series of lectures and presentations covering all aspects of the Haystack research portfolio, as well as topics such as scientific ethics, career development, workplace conduct, and issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. The participants also attend seminars and colloquia presented by visiting scientists and engineers, and participate in a variety of events that allow them to socially interact with their peers and researchers at Haystack Obervatory.

The projects the students work on include a range of scientific topics such as observing black holes with the Event Horizon Telescope, development of a seismic software package for Antarctic glaciology discovery, sensing snow depth over sea ice using GPS reflectometry, measurements of traveling ionospheric disturbances, and optimizing the design of multi-input multi-output meteor radar networks. Emphasis is placed on preparing students for rewarding STEM careers, and historically this has resulted in a high percentage of participants from this program deciding to go to graduate school.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.