December 3, 2012

Dear all,

You've made it to the last week of classes!!  A reminder that we are hiring for grader positions for some introductory Astronomy courses in winter quarter.  Please submit your resume and unofficial transcripts to me no later than December 5 at Noon.  Let me know if there are any questions; details about the grader position is below.

Astronomy Grader Position: The Department of Astronomy is hiring undergraduate course assistants for Winter 2013. Assistants will be assigned to introductory Astronomy courses based on academic achievement in previous Astronomy courses and any prior experience. In general, the duties for these appointments may include: grading student papers and examinations, attendance at lectures, consultation with instructors and teaching assistants, administrative support for lab sections, and other duties as assigned. No teaching duties will be assigned.

Positions have the possibility of renewal for spring quarter based on satisfactory work as determined by instructors and the availability of positions.

Minimum qualifications:
Completion of Astronomy 321, 322 and 323
Minimum 3.5 grade in each course

Course assistants for introductory Astronomy courses will be paid $10/hour for up to 7 hrs/week during the quarter.

To apply: Submit your resume and unofficial transcript to Sarah Garner (email or in person) by December 5 at Noon.

REU and other summer research opportunities: When you have some time over the break, be sure to look up potential summer research opportunities.  Visit this website for a listing: https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/146967

LOA Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-League-of-Astronomers/171798242932673

Planetarium Outreach Specialist Job: Columbia Basin College is recruiting a Planetarium Outreach Specialist. Our newly built Planetarium, the largest in Washington State, will serve as a teaching tool for our astronomy program and an outreach tool for local K-12 students and area families. We are reaching out to you as a key individual in your college or university to aide in our recruitment for this position. The position information is listed below. Please pass this on to any recent graduates in astronomy and/or individuals that may have an interest in this position.  Thank you so much and please let me know if you have any questions.

 Position:  Planetarium Outreach Specialist

Salary: $42,000.00 Annually

Positions Available:  Immediately

Closing Date: December 16, 4:30 p.m. PST

To see the position description and/or apply, please visit our website at http://www.columbiabasin.edu/index.aspx?page=205.

AstroLunch: Tuesday at Noon in Phys/Astr B356A (aka the reading room), Adam Miller (UC Berkeley) will give a talk on "How to find the rare sources all new surveys promise: machine-learning enabled classification and discovery".  Join us for this informal talk and feel free to bring your lunch.

Astrobiology Seminar: Tuesday at 3pm in Phys/Astr A118, Heshan Illangkoon (Blue Marble Institute of Science) will give a talk on science education and outreach. 

Astronomy Colloquium: This Thursday at 4pm in Physics/Astronomy A102 is our last colloquium for autumn quarter.  Gertina Besla (Columbia University) will give a talk on "The Role of Dwarf Galaxy Interactions in Shaping the Magellanic System and Implications for Dwarf Spheroidals".  Join us at 3:45pm in the foyer for coffee, tea and cookies.

Page O'Announcements: There are several study abroad opportunities with info sessions as well as a listing of potential winter quarter classes.  Be sure to check it out!  http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Good luck for the end of the quarter!

Best,
Sarah

November 14, 2012

Dear all,

Hope midterms are going well.  A short list of things to browse through for this short week.

Colloquium: Tomorrow (Thursday) at 4pm in PAA A103, Manoj Kaplinghat (UC Irvine) will give a talk on "Is the dark matter a WIMP or not?".  Join us in the foyer at 3:45pm for coffee, tea and cookies.

REU and other summer research opportunities: There is a list on the website for potential summer research opportunities. https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/146967

CSE 190p/140, Introduction to data programming with applications
http://tinyurl.com/dataprogramming

Winter 2013
MWF    1:30-2:20
Instructor: Professor Michael Ernst

CSE 190p/140 is an introductory programming class that is appropriate for people with no previous programming experience!  It gives you the skills to solve real-world problems, whatever subject you are majoring in.  You'll get to analyze and visualize data from social sciences, natural sciences, government, business, and more.  You'll learn the Python programming language, which is a great language for beginners.

This is a great way to explore computer programming and learn how it can help you in your field!

League of Astronomers Facebook page: Get involved with the astronomy club! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-League-of-Astronomers/171798242932673

Page O'Announcements: lots of postings about potential classes for winter quarter: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

October 29, 2012

Dear all,

Hope all your mid-terms are going well!

Graduating? If you are planning to graduate this year please stop in to see Sarah to fill out necessary paperwork.  You must fill out paperwork with each Department that you are majoring in.

Winter Quarter classes: Be sure to check out which classes are being offered winter quarter!  If you have questions about what you should be registering for stop in to see Sarah.

AstroLunch: Tuesday at 11:30 in Phys/Astr B356A (aka the reading room), Sean Matt (CEA Saclay, France) will give a talk on "The Dynamics of Stellar Evolution".  Dr. Matt is a former UW PhD student!  Please feel free to bring your lunch to this talk.

Astrobiology Seminar: Tuesday at 3pm in Phys/Astr A118, Marshall Reaves (Princeton Univ) will give a talk on "Interrogating the DNA of Arsenate-Grown GFAJ-1 Cells: Tools, Techniques, and Data".  Join in for the 2:30pm coffee break before the talk.

Colloquium: Thursday at 4pm in Phys/Astr A102, Neal Katz (University of Massachusetts) will give a talk on "The Birth of the Cool".  Join us at 3:45pm in the foyer for coffee, tea and cookies!

Page O'Announcements: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/  Lots of great winter quarter classes listed!

Have a great week,
Sarah

September 24, 2012

Welcome back to school!  A few things to keep in mind for this week:

Telescope/Instrumentation Project: Dr. Ana Larson is looking for 1-2 undergrads that have a strong interest in working with telescopes to help clean and setup some newly acquired telescopes for outreach.  Students can earn ASTR 498 (Independent Study) credit for their work.  Please email Dr. Larson if you are interested (larson@astro.washington.edu).

SRT Presentation/Meeting: Students interested in working with the student radio telescope (SRT) should attend the presentation/meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 12:30 in Phys/Astr A210 (note this is the first presentation for the ASTR 400 course- which is being combined with the meeting). 

Building Permits: If you have keys to the building, you must also have an updated building use permit.  These permits are in Sarah's office.

Computer Lab Reminders: The Astronomy computer lab is a space for you to do homework, work on research and collaborate with your peers.  Please remember not to eat/drink near the computers and to clean up after yourself.  Also remember to think before you print in the lab.  If you have computer problems, email help@astro.washington.edu.

oSTEM: Are you LGBT or an ally? Are you majoring in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field? Are you interested in networking, making friends, and jumpstarting your professional career? Then you should join the UW's chapter of oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)! oSTEM plans to create a strong, supportive environment for LGBT and allied students in STEM fields, with plenty of networking, food and career guidance along the way!  We will be holding our first event of the year on Tuesday, September 25th in HUB 337 at 3PM. Be prepared to have eat, socialize, and learn about what other exciting events oSTEM has planned for this next school year. See you then!"  If you have any questions, please feel free to forward them to our advisor, Gian Bruno (gbruno@uw.edu).

Colloquium: Mark your calendars for Thursday at 4pm for the autumn colloquia.  Next Thursday (Oct. 4) we have Annalisa Pillepic (UC Santa Cruz) giving a talk relating to extragalactic Astronomy.  Colloquia take place in Phys/Astr A102 and are great opportunities to learn about new research in the field.  Light refreshments are served at 3:45pm in the foyer.

Page O'Announcements: Updated with lots of classes with space still available.  Also check out the right side of the page for links to search for on-campus jobs.  http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Enjoy the first week back!

Best,
Sarah

September 18, 2012

Dear all,

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year!  I hope you've all had a great summer and are looking forward to all that this new school year will bring.  A few announcements that I wanted to make before next week.

1) I've moved! You may be surprised when you walk into the Astronomy front office and I'm not there!  I've moved offices into C304 which is to the right when you exit the tower elevators.  I'm the last office around the corner.  Stop by to say hi!
2) Undergraduate Representatives: Thank you to our 2011-12 undergraduate reps, Miles, Brenda and Nancy for their service this past year.  We are now accepting nominations for the 2012-13 undergraduate representative positions.  Please email me names of those you wish to nominate (self nominations are OK too!).  Undergraduate reps serve as a liaison to the faculty by attending open faculty meetings, coordinating events and bringing questions/concerns to our attention.  The representatives are a combination of senior and junior-level students and serve for the academic year.
3) Undergraduate Graders: Today @ Noon is the deadline to submit your resume and unofficial transcript to me to be considered for a grader position.  These positions will grade assignments for ASTR 321 as well as some introductory Astronomy classes.  You can email me your resume and unofficial transcript or drop it off in person.
4) Page O'Announcements: The announcement blog has been updated over the summer with new opportunities, campus events and interesting courses.  Check it out! http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Hope you all have a great start to the new school year. 

Best,
Sarah

May 7, 2012

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend!

ASTR 400: There is a time conflict with ASTR 400 and PHYS 324 in the fall.  If you were planning to take both classes, please let me know so that we can evaluate how many students this will impact.

Summer Physics GRE Study Group: For those wanting to start studying for the Physics GRE, please consider joining the summer study group!  Send me an email to be added to the mailing list; we'll start planning the meetings at the end of this quarter.

AstroLunch:  Tuesday at Noon in PAB B356A (aka the reading room) Mario Gennaro (MPIA in Heidelberg) will give a talk on "The field IMF of the Large Magellanic Cloud.  Breaking the mass-age-metallicity degeneracies using a Bayesian approach."  This is an informal lunch talk, so please feel free to bring your lunch!

Astrobiology Seminar: Tuesday at 3pm in PAA A118, Bethany Ehlmann (CalTech) will give a talk on "The Earliest Aqueous, Habitable(?) Environments on Mars: A View from Orbit".  Coffee, tea and cookies will be served at 2:30pm in the foyer!

Astronomy Colloquium: Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102, Mariska Kriek (University of California, Berkeley) will give a talk on "Characterizing the distant galaxy population using (pseudo-)spectroscopy".  Join us in the foyer at 3:45pm in for coffee, tea and cookies.

Page O'Announcements: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/  Be sure to check out the important links on the right side of the page that include Astronomy career planning, course planning guides and more!

Excellence in Teaching Award: Calling all undergraduates: Nominate your favorite professor for Mortar Board's Excellence in Teaching Award!!

The UW Tolo Chapter of Mortar Board invites all undergraduates to nominate an outstanding professor who has inspired you, and made exceptional contributions towards the education of UW undergraduates.  Without great teachers, there cannot be great scholarship, and it is in this spirit that we wish to give undergraduate students the opportunity to say thank you and acknowledge those professors who have made a difference in their education.  This award is the only award on campus both nominated and awarded solely by undergraduate students and is a prestigious honor for any faculty to receive.

 Criteria for submitting nominations:

1.     Any lecturer, senior lecturer, adjunct professor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, or professor emeritus may be nominated. Teaching assistants do not qualify for this award.

2.     Only undergraduate students (full or part-time) may nominate professors for the award. Students should nominate only one professor.

     3. Nominations are due Sunday, May 13th by 11:59 PM, 2012.

All nominations for the 2012 Excellence in Teaching Award must be received before Monday May 14th 2012 by this Catalyst Poll:

https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/mortarbd/165032

Nominate your favorite teacher now!  And of course, if you have questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact the Teaching Award Chair, Michelle Drews at drewsm@uw.edu.


Let me know if you have any questions and have a great week!
Sarah

April 23, 2012

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!  This week, please join us on Thursday at 1:30pm in PAA A110 for the spring quarter undergrad meeting.  We'll have important announcements relating to volunteer opportunities, the League of Astronomers, an undergrad photo and much more!  Hope to see you all on Thursday.

Physics Advising:  The annual spring physics advising has begun!  As Astronomy students are you encouraged to participate but not required to do so since the availability of astronomy-related physics faculty is limited the advising meetings are not always relevant.  Still, it's a good reminder that if you have updated your course plan in a while or things have changed stop by and see me!

Autumn Time Schedule: The Autumn quarter time schedule is now live! http://www.washington.edu/students/timeschd/AUT2012/  Be sure to check and make sure the classes that you were planning to take are being offered.  As always please let me know if you see any time conflicts with Physics and Astronomy classes.

Astrobiology Seminar: Tuesday at 3pm in PAA A118, Dr. Antigona Segura (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) will give a talk on "Tales of habitability: The curious case of M dwarf planets".  Coffee, tea and cookies served at 2:30pm in the foyer!

Astro Lunch: This Wednesday at Noon in the Reading Room (PAB B356A) Nate McCrady (University of Montana) will give a talk on "Project Minerva: Big Exoplanet Science from Small Telescopes".  Feel free to bring your lunch!

Colloquium: Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102, Steve Howell (NASA) will give a talk on "The NASA Kepler Mission: Redefining Stellar Astrophysics and the Search for other Earths".  Join us at 3:45pm in the foyer for coffee, tea and cookies.

Page O'Announcements: Lots of summer quarter classes being announced!  Check out the Page O'Announcements: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have an excellent week!

Best,
Sarah

March 26, 2012

Welcome to spring quarter!  I hope you all had a great spring break!  Lots of announcements to share with you so please read on!  Also, I'll be out of the office and away from email April 3-6 so please see me with class questions before or after this date.

Building Permits: Don't forget to pick up your building use permit if you have building keys and will be here after ours.  They are on my desk so feel free to pick yours up even if I'm not around!

ASTR 499 Credit: Don't forget to register for research credit!  You need to fill out one of the pink forms, have your research adviser sign it and turn it back in to me by 5pm on Friday to get an add code and avoid late registration fees.  Note that April 1 is the last day to make changes to your schedule through MyUW without a fee but add codes are not given out over the weekend so please plan accordingly!

Astrobiology Seminar:  Tuesday at 3pm in PAA A118,Dirk Schulze-Makuch (Washington State University) will give a talk on "The Future of Human Life: Mars, Exoplanets, and the 100-year Starship Project".

Astronomy Colloquia: This week we have two colloquium talks.  Tuesday at 4pm in PAA A102, Sally Dodson-Robinson (Univ of Texas, Austin) will give a talk on "Planetary Archeology in Space and Time".  Then on Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102, Eric Agol (UW) will give a talk on "Lost and Found Planets in the Kepler Data".  Both have coffee, tea and cookies served at 3:45pm in the foyer!

Odegaard Writing Center Jobs:
Once again we request your assistance in forwarding our job posting to the students in your areas.  We seek qualified undergraduate and graduate tutors to serve as peer tutors - to collaborate with UW students, staff, and faculty on their myriad writing and research projects.  Last year, tutors in the OWRC worked with writers from more than 100 departments on campus, representing all colleges -- so when we say we are working hard to build an interdisciplinary staff for next year, we really mean it.

Details of the position and hiring process can be found at http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/Hiring2012.html

This will be a rolling hiring process, with preference given to earlier applicants; it is well worth applicants' time to submit their materials now, during the break, rather than later in Spring Quarter.  Top early-applying candidates will also be given the option of beginning work this Spring and Summer rather than waiting until Early Fall Start (mid-August).

Finally, additional preference will be given to candidates from STEM fields and business; recruiting tutors from these fields is a hiring priority for the OWRC, given the writers we work alongside most often.

WA STEM Scholarships:
There is a new scholarship opportunity that I think returning students for next year should be eligible for.  It's for WA residents at WA universities in STEM:
http://www.waopportunityscholarship.org/page.aspx?pid=1118

It offers $1000/year, which isn't a lot but it is $1000 more than zero.  Better, it looks like a very simple application process!

It is due April 16 and you should hear from them in May.

Spring Career Fair:
UW Seattle Spring Career Fair
April 10, 2012

3-7pm, Hec Ed Pavilion (Alaska Airlines Arena)

http://careers.uw.edu/students/Spring-Career-Fair

More than 115 employers are registered to attend, and are looking to hire Huskies from a variety of majors for part-time, internship and/or full-time entry level career positions.  Details on those specific employers can be found at http://careers.uw.edu/students/Spring-Career-Fair and by the first day of Spring Quarter, a full Career Fair Guide will be available on the website that will also outline the positions being hired for by each attending organization.

WA NASA Space Grant SURP:
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is happy to announce that the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) application is now open. SURP is a 9 week summer undergraduate research opportunity at the University of Washington for students majoring in the STEM fields.

University of Washington research labs and/or faculty who are recruiting STEM undergraduate students or that have a specific student that they would like to co-fund with SURP may apply for the program by activating the 'Faculty Request' hyperlink located on the webpage listed below. Space Grant - SURP supports summer undergraduate research only.

The application due date is April 13, 2012 and the 9 week summer research student stipend is $4,000 for full-time or $2,000 for part-time work .

You may find SURP details and the Catalyst WebQ application at the following link: http://www.waspacegrant.org/u-gradsum.html

Have a great week!

Best,
Sarah

February 14, 2012

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in my weekly email to you!  Lots of good information for this week!  Don't forget that Monday, Feb. 20 is a holiday -- no classes and the building will be closed.

ASTR/HIST 313 Writing Credit:  For those of you still looking for some writing credit, Astr/Hist 313 this spring will be offered as writing credit.  A great and interesting way to finish the requirement!

PHYS 321/324 Prerequisite confusion: Last week I had several of you ask me about the Phys 321 and Phys 324 prerequisite listing.  I spoke with Physics and we are all in agreement that is it confusing.  I think the listings have now been updated in the course catalog.  Please read through them and feel free to ask if you still have questions.  Thanks to those that mentioned something since it was very easy to change!

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory Grading: Feb. 19 is the last day to change your grading option from standard to Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory (S/NS).  An "S" grade means that you earned at least a 2.0 in the course.  Courses that you elect to have graded as S/NS will only count towards the 180 credits needed for graduation.  Questions?  Read the policy here: http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html#NONGRADE  or come talk with me about it.

Space Grant Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP):
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is happy to announce that the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) application is now open. SURP is a 9 week summer undergraduate research opportunity at the University of Washington for students majoring in the STEM fields.

University of Washington research labs and/or faculty who are recruiting STEM undergraduate students or that have a specific student that they would like to co-fund with SURP may apply for the program by activating the 'Faculty Request' hyperlink located on the webpage listed below. Space Grant - SURP supports summer undergraduate research only.

The application due date is April 13, 2012 and the 9 week summer research student stipend is $4,000 for full-time or $2,000 for part-time work .

You may find SURP details and the Catalyst WebQ application at the following link: http://www.waspacegrant.org/u-gradsum.html

Colloquium: Join us on Thursday this week for colloquium with Dr. Lynne Jones (UW) as she shares with us the status of LSST.  The talk starts at 4pm in PAA A102.  Show up at 3:45pm for coffee, tea and cookies!

Astro Undergrad website: Has lots of great information for you on careers, graduate school and more!  https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/

Page O'Announcements: And interesting info session on March 8 from the University College of London about pursuing graduate studies in the UK-- might be worth checking out!   http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

Best,
Sarah

February 6, 2012

Hi everyone,

What great weather we've been having!  Hard to be indoors!  Lots of announcements and important information in this week's email so read on!  Last week's undergrad meeting notes can be found here: http://astroemails.blogspot.com/

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Integrated Sciences needs your help:

Dear science student,

A group of faculty at the University of Washington has been developing a new Integrated Sciences undergraduate degree, designed in part to meet the needs of students interested in secondary school science teaching, museum education, science writing, science policy, or professional careers with a science or technology orientation.

We would like to learn whether such a program would have interested you if it were available when you chose your major, and so we are writing to ask you to participate in a short survey, which you can find at

       https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/rsi/154594

The survey consists of 8 questions.  It may take as little as two to three minutes to complete, or perhaps as long as five or six, depending on whether you provide an answer to the open-ended question at the end. We welcome your response either way.  We very much value any advice you can give us and hope you are able to complete this survey.

Sincerely,

Ron Irving
Director, Integrated Sciences Program
Professor of Mathematics
University of Washington


Space Grant Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP):
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is happy to announce that the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) application is now open. SURP is a 9 week summer undergraduate research opportunity at the University of Washington for students majoring in the STEM fields.

University of Washington research labs and/or faculty who are recruiting STEM undergraduate students or that have a specific student that they would like to co-fund with SURP may apply for the program by activating the 'Faculty Request' hyperlink located on the webpage listed below. Space Grant - SURP supports summer undergraduate research only.

The application due date is April 13, 2012 and the 9 week summer research student stipend is $4,000 for full-time or $2,000 for part-time work .

You may find SURP details and the Catalyst WebQ application at the following link: http://www.waspacegrant.org/u-gradsum.html

Astro Undergrad website: Has lots of great information for you on careers, graduate school and more!  https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/

Page O'Announcements: Lots of announcements and campus events, including a Peace Corps information session.   http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

1/13/12 Meeting Notes

Hi everyone,

Here are the meeting minutes from Tuesday's undergraduate meeting just in case you were unable to attend:

Paula mentioned a NASA opportunity for those looking for a summer research internship.  See the ad at the bottom of the email.

Spring quarter class discussion: Several great classes are being offered in the spring, including ASTR 313 (a joint class with History being taught by Prof. Sullivan); ASTR 323 (same textbook as this year's ASTR 322), 480 (data analysis) and 497 (exoplanets; instructor is looking for students that have taken some courses in the ASTR 32X series). 

Summer quarter we are offering the 481 observing class.  Enrollment is limited to 12 seats due to how the project and observatory time is structured.  A suggestion was made to limit enrollment to seniors during first period registration.  Dr. Laws agreed about this after discussion and the change has been implemented for this summer.

2012-2013 Class Schedule:  The Astronomy class schedule for next year is available here: https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/  This is a tentative schedule with lots of questions and possible changes still.  If you have concerns let Sarah G. know.

Additional Resources for Students: This website is being updated for students and I encourage you to check it out.  https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/  There's some great information about graduate school for those applying or thinking about applying.

Graduate School/Physics GRE: Those interested in applying to graduate school next year will need to take the Physics GRE subject exam in October and/or November 2012.  In preparation for these exams, the Department is considering hosting a study group this summer.  If you are interested please let Sarah G. know.

Faculty Search: Your undergraduate representatives, Miles, Nancy and Brenda are working hard to make sure the undergrad opinion counts as we search for a new faculty member to join us.  The faculty search is focused on hiring someone with a background in theory.  As part of the candidate interviews they are giving colloquium talks and teaching a graduate-level course.  The reps are attending the course and providing feedback, but we encourage everyone to attend our Thursday colloquia to listen to their talks.

League of Astronomers: It's back!  After a several year hiatus, the astronomy club (aka League of Astronomers) is making a glorious come back.  Thanks to 5 of your peers the League will be an official club at UW.  Stay tuned for more information about events, possible League attire and more!

Thanks,
Sarah

January 23, 2012

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to classes after the unexpected break!  Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 31 at 3pm in PAA A216 for our winter quarter undergrad astronomy meeting.  We'll talk about expected classes for the next year, applying to REUs and much more!  Hope to see you all there.

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Spring Quarter Class Schedule: If you're a proactive planner like me, you'll be excited to know that the spring quarter class schedule will go live either this Friday or next Monday.  As usual, let me know asap if you see any major physics and astronomy class overlaps.  I meet with Physics before we submit the schedules for each quarter to avoid overlaps but sometimes schedules change, so let me know if you catch something.

Credit holds on accounts: Holds have been placed on student accounts for those of you that have too many credits.  Please let me know if you have a hold so we can fill out the correct paperwork before registration for spring happens. 

AAS posters: For those of you that presented a poster at the AAS meeting and don't know what to do with the poster, consider letting me post it on the hallway wall in the Department!  The posters along the wall are older and I would like to replace some of them if you don't mind having your poster up.  Swing by anytime to drop the poster off.

Colloquium: Join us this Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102 for a talk by Mark Krumholz (UC Santa Cruz) on "The Origin of IMF".  Don't forget about the coffee, tea and cookies served at 3:45pm in the foyer!

Page O'announcements: Lots of study abroad programs listed!  Don't forget the important links on the right side of the page that has astronomy-specific information. http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!
Sarah

January 17, 2012

Hi everyone!  Hope you all got to enjoy the long weekend and some of the snow.  While it's hard to know what the next few days will bring us with the weather, make sure to check the official UW website to see if campus is open.  You can also sign up to get text alerts here: http://emergency.washington.edu/  When the campus suspends operations that means there's no classes and most offices are closed.

REU Applications: Applications for summer research experiences are approaching!  You can find a listing of summer opportunities here: https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/146967

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Building Permits: Don't forget, if you're in the building after hours you need to have an orange building card with you at all times.  If you have building keys I have them pre-printed for you on my desk so swing by to pick yours up today.

Colloquium: We do have a colloquium scheduled for this week barring flight cancellations due to snow.  Natalie Batalha (San Jose State Univ) will give a talk on the latest "Kepler Results".  So join us on Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102 with coffee, tea and cookies served at 3:45pm.

Page O'announcements: Some study abroad opportunities as well as some great campus events are posted: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week,
Sarah

January 9, 2012

Hi everyone,

Today is the last day to add classes to your schedule without the registration fee, so be sure to get the pink forms in if you are adding research credits.

Building Use Permits: Many of you have already come by to pick up your building permits but I still have a fair number.  Please stop by to get yours today if you have building keys and plan to be here after hours.

Photos for the undergrad board:  Want your picture on the undergrad board?  Send me a photo of yourself!

Computer Lab Reminder:  Just a quick reminder to please clean up after yourself in the computer lab as the area is not served by custodial staff.  Books being borrowed from the shelf need to be returned and please do not leave food/drinks out.

Colloquium: Starts next week!  More details next Monday.

Mary Gates Research Scholarship: $4,000

 

Application deadline: Friday, January 27, 5pm

 

Information Sessions (held in 171 Mary Gates Hall):

Monday, January 9, 2:30

Tuesday, January 10, 4:30

Wednesday, January 11, 1:30

 

Applications for both scholarships are online.  Also find more information and instructions on our website.

www.washington.edu/uaa/mge

Page O'Announcements: Updated with some great campus events, study abroad opportunities and more: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

Thanks,