Undergraduate Research Projects
The department of Chemistry, Physics, and Geoscience offers undergraduate
research projects in areas of chemistry, astronomy, geoscience, and physics.
Students are encouraged to do research projects. Research courses are open to
all students; however introductory subject courses are required.
For more information, please contact any of our faculty members.
Spring 2010 Research Project Description
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's an Asteroid!
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what else is up there?
For the trained eye, there is much more than sparkling dots. With thousands of
main belt asteroids yet to be identified, and an unknown number currently on a
collision course with Earth, asteroid and NEO (Near Earth Object) studies have
become more common. To perform the asteroid search, we examine time-lapsed images
of a particular region of the sky. The images are recorded at the Astronomical
Research Institutes in Charleston, Illinois with a 32" telescope. The program
Astrometrica is used to identify and track asteroids. Images are overlaid to
identify moving objects and separate spurious optical effects. Results are
confirmed with the Minor Planet Center. In addition to the search, asteroid
luminosity as a function of time is plotted in order to determine the rotation
rate of a known asteroid.
Students: Catherine Pannill, Kelly Partlo, Tina Aldridge, Meredith Hyatt
Mentor: Dr. William Schmidt
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Catherine Pannill
Class of 2011
Major: Psychology
Licensure: 6-9 Science
1. Describe background, major and career plans.
I am a psychology major and I am also getting a 6-9 Science Licensure in order to teach middle school science. I have always loved science, but more specifically astronomy. Even as a toddler I would sit at a window in my house and feed the moon! I am drawn to science because it calls for individuals to be hands on, to think outside the box and to question his or her surroundings instead of accepting the popular beliefs. One day I would love the opportunity to have my future middle school students perform the asteroids and/or near Earth object searches with me!
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2. What got me interested in undergraduate research?
I first heard about the near Earth object and asteroid search when I was a senior in high school. My astronomy teacher at the time gave me the News & Observer article about the team at Meredith who had discovered two near Earth objects. Once at Meredith, I took astronomy from Dr. Schmidt my freshmen year which elevated my interest about the searches being performed.
3. What do you like about undergraduate research?
I was granted the opportunity to contribute to the scientific community. Undergraduate research allows me to be in charge, take leadership, and contribute to the greater community beyond my Meredith Education. It was a great experience, and I am so excited to continue the searches through upcoming semesters. The flexible hours for performing the searches were really convenient, even though I only had 48 hours to process the images and send in my reports! |
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4. What are the challenges of research and how do you think those challenges will benefit you or help your education?
One of the challenges with doing any kind of research is the acknowledgment that you might not end up with any results. In particular to the asteroid search, confirmation about any asteroids takes over a month. You just have to put faith in the fact that working hard now will pay off later. I was fortunate enough to have received two confirmations of asteroids in the previous search. One of the hardest parts of this search was not having the time that I wanted to spend on it!
5. Other comments
Words fail to express the emotions that the asteroid searches brought upon me. I have experienced the honor of making contributions to scientific community. It was a magnificent opportunity that allowed me to explore beyond the average undergraduate student. |
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