November 30, 2010

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed the extra long break we had. Registration for most of you is over at this point, but if you're still having problems getting into classes let me know.

Meet with John Mather: Next Thursday, the Department is hosting John Mather, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics (2006) and the Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. There will be a special undergraduate meeting with Dr. Mather on Thursday, December 9 at 2:30pm in Phys/Astr C520. Snacks will be provided and you are all encouraged to attend!

Research Experiences/Internships: Many of you attended the NASA Internship session a few weeks ago and have more questions about other opportunities. More research experiences and internships are listed on the following page: http://staff.washington.edu/sterrs/links.htm Note that many deadlines for the internships are in January and February so this is a great time to be thinking about which ones you might apply to.

Graduate School Applications: For those applying to graduate schools right now, don't forget that now is the time you should be finalizing your list (if you haven't already) and giving lists to your letter writers of where you're applying, deadlines, how to submit letters, etc. Check out more tips and recommendations on the Grad School Wiki page: http://librarian.phys.washington.edu/astro/index.php/Grad_School (accessible with an account or when you're on a computer in the astro lab). There are also some great testimonials from our current graduate students about alternative pathways to the PhD!

Astrobiology Seminar: Today (Tuesday) at 2:30pm in Phys/Astr A118, Colin Goldblatt (UW) will give a talk on "Early Earth Nitrogen: Geosphere-biosphere-climate interactions.

Colloquium: This week at 4pm in Phys/Astr A102, Amber Straughn (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) will give a talk on "HST WFC3 Early Release Science: Emission Line Galaxies from IR Grism Observations". Join us at 3:45pm in the foyer for coffee, tea and cookies.

Page O'Announcements: Don't forget to check the Page O'Announcements for campus events, scholarships and job postings. http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

Sarah

November 15, 2010

Hi everyone! Thanks to all who attended the quarterly meeting last week. We talked about upcoming classes to be aware of, graduate school and research opportunities. We'll have another meeting sometime mid-winter quarter.

Physics/Astronomy Networking Days: Many of you have seen the flyers in the building about the Career Development Organization Networking Days Nov. 17-18. I strong encourage anyone graduating this year to attend the networking days this year. Networking day is your opportunity to learn about industry jobs and potentially scout out your future employer! The companies attending are specifically hiring Physics and Astronomy students so bring your resumes! Details including a schedule of events can be found here: http://students.washington.edu/cdophys/ND/

Art course of interest to Astronomy: ART 361 "Black Holes, Grey Matter and White Cubes: Visualizing Science". This winter quarter class meets M, W 2:30-5:20 and is 5 credits. The instructor recommends that you have an advanced background in visual arts, drama, music, dance or DXArts. This studio art course considers the artistic possibilites of scientific instruments and representation, introducing both historical perspectives and current imaging and recording systems. Content will be presented via field trips, presentations, visiting lecturers, discussion and critique. Participation will include reading, writing, oral presentation, discussion and artistic outcomes in a range of potential formats. For more info, contact Rebecca Cummins at rcummins@uw.edu.

NASA Space Grant Internship Info Session: Don't forget this Friday from 2:30-4pm in MGH 389 is the NASA Internship information session. Go learn about paid internships at NASA facilities.

Thinking about a career in teaching? Attend the UW College of Education open house night! Nov. 17 at 4:30pm in Miller Hall. RSVP at http://education.washington.edu/openhouse

AstroLunch x2: This week we have two astro lunches that you can attend. Today at 12:30pm in B356A (the reading room), Jarron Leisenring (Univ. of Virginia) will give a talk on "Mid-Infrared Variability of T Tauri Stars." Tomorrow at Noon in the same room, Richard Coffey (UW Director of Physics/Astronomy Computing Services - PACS) will give a talk on the current status and future plans of computing in our Department. Feel free to bring your lunch to either of these great talks!

Colloquium: This Thursday at 4pm in Phys/Astr A102, Falk Herwig (Univ. of Victoria) will give a talk on "Simulations of the Origin of the Elements". Join us at 3:45pm in the foyer for coffee, tea and cookies.

Have an excellent week!
Sarah

November 8, 2010

You are all encouraged to attend the undergraduate meeting today at 4pm in the reading room (Phys/Astr B356A). We will discuss classes, post-graduation plans, research and more! Those of you that participated in an REU this summer please attend and share your experiences with us. Snacks will be provided!

Winter quarter registration: Registration for winter quarter has started for many of you. Please let me know if you have questions about classes you should be taking. Note that ASTR 300: Astronomy Computing is open only to Astronomy majors during Period 1 registration (now - Nov. 28). Starting Nov. 29 any remaining seats will be given to non-Astronomy students requesting permission. If for some reason you are unable to register for the course before Nov. 29 but still want a seat, please contact Dr. Toby Smith (smith@astro.washington.edu).

AAS Meeting Volunteering: Don't forget to sign up to be a volunteer at the American Astronomical Society meeting this January here in Seattle! Volunteers receive free meeting registration and this is a great opportunity to experience a professional conference. To volunteer fill out the form here: http://aas.org/meetings/aas217/volunteer

Colloquium: Colloquium this week is on Wednesday at 4pm in ARCHITECTURE 147 (due to the Veteran's Day holiday on Thursday). This week we have Jayant Narlikar (IUCA&A) giving a talk on "A Critique of Standard Cosmology".

Page O'Announcements: Don't forget to check out the Page O'Announcements! Included are some great classes, post-graduation opportunities and more: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!
Sarah

November 2, 2010

Hi everyone!

I've attached a picture of the APOLLO project shooting a laser at the moon at the Apache Point Observatory. Read more about the APOLLO project here: http://physics.ucsd.edu/~tmurphy/apollo/apollo.html



The votes are in for the undergrad meeting. We will have our autumn quarter meeting on Monday, Nov. 8 at 4pm in Phys/Astr B356A (aka the reading room) which is just inside the computer lab. Join us to hear about research, classes, career resources and more! Snacks will be provided.

Winter quarter registration: Registration for winter quarter begin this Friday for many of you and others follow shortly after this. Be sure you're registering for the right classes; run a new degree audit (DARS), look at your course plan or if you don't have one stop in to see me and create one!

NASA Space Grant Internship Meeting: On Nov. 19 from 2:30-4:00pm in Mary Gates Hall Rm 389, the WA NASA Space Grant office will host a NASA Internship Information Session. At this meeting you will find out about opportunities at NASA/JPL and Johnson Space Center as well as local research and industry internships available to you.

Astronomy Colloquium: Join us this Thursday at 4pm in Phys/Astr A102 for a talk by Suvi Gezari (Johns Hopkins) for a talk on "The Transient Ultraviolet Universe". Coffee, tea and cookies will be served at 3:45pm in the foyer.

Page O'Announcements: Check out the Page O'Announcements where you can find announcements about jobs, scholarships and campus events. Check out the links on the right side of the page that will guide you to Astronomy and Physics course offerings, planning guides, graduate school application tips and much more! http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week and we'll see you all on Monday, Nov. 8 at 4pm!

Best,
Sarah