The Program
The Astrophysical Sciences Department runs a summer research program for Princeton undergraduate students. Students at all levels are welcome to apply, and we particularly encourage students in their freshman and sophomore years who are interested in majoring in the physical sciences, especially astrophysics and physics, to consider working with us in the summer. The 2009 program will be run by Toby Marriage.
Please note that participation in this program is almost entirely limited to Princeton undergraduates. On occasion we have students from other institutions who are working with individual faculty members and take part in our program or who come to us through the PSURE program. We don’t have students from outside the US unless they’re already in residence in Princeton - the logistics and restrictions make this too difficult.
Research in Astrophysical Sciences
Astrophysics participates in several major observational programs - the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey, the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, and others. The department is also home
to several theory groups. Many summer students will be working with these groups, but
you can also work with a professor on his/her individual research. Most of the research
activity involves analytic and computer work, but in some cases there are opportunities
for travel - summer students have done observational work in Chile, New Mexico, South
Africa and Hawaii. The students also attend the group meetings as appropriate. Please
see the Princeton Astro web page for further information about what we do. In particular you can find descriptions of major projects and research groups as well as the research of specific faculty members and postdocs.
Projects and Lectures
Students will work one-on-one with an adviser in the department, usually a professor
or a postdoctoral fellow, on a research project which is conceived to be self-contained, so
that real progress can be made in a summer session. There will also be a lecture series
on current astrophysics and we usually arrange a trip to the Hayden Planetarium in New
York. Students are also more than welcome to attend the usual department events -
morning coffee, afternoon tea, seminars etc. Things tend to be a bit quieter in the summer
but there is still a lot going on.