ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT

Research experiences for graduates and undergraduates are essential to any successful educational program. Research experiences can be expensive, particularly in an area such as astronomy where the cost of operating major telescopes can be very significant. There is never adequate funding to provide our graduate students with all of the support needed to finish their research efforts and to gain the national exposure needed to find post-PhD positions. Undergraduates also need support to learn the skills of research so that they become sufficiently proficient to receive research grant support and the career opportunities that research experiences provide for them.  

A list of possible areas in which donors can make a substantial difference to the opportunities and careers of our students appears below. We do not request funds for instructional support purposes that should be served by state funding. We urge donors to contact us before making substantial contributions so that we may direct your funds appropriately.

Graduate Student Support Fund      donate now        contact us for more information

Prize Graduate Fellowships

A one-year prize fellowship for outstanding research excellence by an outstanding advanced graduate student. The fellowship includes full tuition and modest support for publication costs and travel. Please note that the existence of such scholarships is a critical recruitment tool for top new student talent. The suggested donation is a named endowment of $500,000 or an annual donation of $20,000. The fellowship can be tailored to meet specific priorities of the donor.
   Smaller donations -- as small as 25% of a one-year fellowship -- are also of very significant interest. They would be used for summer or one-quarter scholarships to graduate students of excellence at critical times in their PhD research programs.

Theodor Jacobsen Fund for Graduate Support:

Graduate students need support for training sessions at Apache Point Observatory or other substantial observatories, travel to scientific meetings with significant international exposure, and for the publication of significant research results. Support would be acknowledged in all publications for which these funds provided significant direct or indirect support. Our goal is a permanent endowment of $250,000. Contributions in any amount are welcome.

Graduate Student Recruitment Fund

Recruiting top new students is essential to every mission of the Astronomy Department, and the cost of recruitment is an essential investment in our future. We compete for top applicants with institutions such as Cal Tech and Harvard who offer of up to $10,000 of income above normal graduate stipends. Contributions in any amount that support the overall recruitment effort are welcome. The annual cost of recruitment is on the order of $25,000, including four $5,000 awards used to attract top students.  

 
Astronomy undergraduates constructing a campus radio telescope and visiting Boeing's Research lab.

Undergraduate Student Support Fund        donate now        contact us for more information

Undergraduate Awards & Opportunities:

Undergraduate students at a major research university such as U.W. are encouraged to participate in research projects supervised by our faculty. Our undergraduates consistently praise the Astronomy Department for the many opportunities that it provides. Contributions as small as $5,000 will provide travel support and modest investments in computers and research hardware which the Department's state budget cannot cover.
   Pregraduation awards for outstanding achievement bring our best students both prestige and opportunity for admission into top graduate programs. Enlarging our endowment for such awards is an important goal that encourages excellence and engagement in undergraduate studies.
   Our goal for undergraduate support and awards is a permanent endowment of $100,000. Contributions in any amount are welcome.

Undergraduate Research Mentor:

Mentoring enhances the interests of our best undergraduate students in professional careers in astronomy and related technical fields such as mechanical or optical engineering, the methodology of high-performance numerical models, and advanced techniques of data analysis. The proposed endowment will provide 50% funding for a faculty-level leader/mentor who would serve in several important capacities: (1) connecting advanced undergraduate students to suitable faculty research projects (this brokering of people and opportunies is essential!); (2) providing personalized advising for advanced undergraduates about career opportunities inside and outside of professional astronomy; (3) connecting new, inexperienced majors to public outreach and education activities within the department, and (4) training undergraduates in the use of the planetarium and public telescope for public and K-12 outreach programs, organizing undergraduate participation in monthly observatory and annual open house activities. A permanent endowment of $500,000 would provide a 50%-time lectureship named for the donor.