Experiences in Astronomy Research for Undergraduates with InStAR and Our Solar Siblings

Abstract:

Brigham Young University-Idaho is a four-year undergraduate institution with a focus on teaching. With limited resources for a full research experience, we try to get our students to get an internship at other institutions through either an REU or SULI grant. However, there are external resources that can give undergraduates a full research experience, while remaining at their home institution, through remote online seminars such as offered by InStAR (Institute for Student Astronomical Research) and Our Solar Siblings. These seminars last about 12 weeks (one semester), and they take students through the whole process of research: proposal, gathering data, data analysis, paper publication, and presentation of results. I will go over my experiences with these two programs and the results of our undergraduate student experiences.