Swarthmore College Department of Physics and Astronomy


Research Information for Students

How Do I get Involved in Student Research?

There are several different ways that our students can get involved in research projects, but most student research occurs in the summer. There are opportunities for both on- and off-campus research. Planning for off-campus summer research ("REU programs") should start in December, as applications are due in January and February.

The main mode of summer research on campus is to join one of the faculty research teams. Early in the spring semester all faculty members who have openings for students during the summer give a short public presentation on their research projects. These presentations were held on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, at 4:30 PM in SC 199. After attending the presentations and talking with faculty members, students write a brief application for one or more summer projects, in consultation with a faculty member whom they'd like to work with during the upcoming summer. The College evaluates these student proposals at the divisional level, and funds some of them. These summer research positions last ten weeks and come with a $3750 stipend. There is a College summer research web page with information and applications. Before submitting this official application, interested students should fill out and submit a preference form to the department office by Friday, Feb. 6, indicating that they're interested, and listing faculty members with whom they'd like to work. See the full schedule for each stage of the application process. Students will be notified on Monday, Feb. 9 regarding who they may be able to work with this summer, and then they should meet with their assigned faculty member and complete their formal application, to be handed in by Thursday, Feb. 12.

(Note that these deadlines have passed for 2009, but they give an idea of the time-frame for next year.)

Most thesis research, done by upperclasspeople (whether in the honors program or not), is accomplished over one (or even better, two) of these summer periods, with writing continuing into the fall semester.

One way to work on a research project during the school year is to take a research course credit (either Physics 94 or Astronomy 94). This can be done for either a full credit or a half credit and is arranged before the semester begins by agreement between the student and a faculty member who sponsors the research. Sometimes faculty will be able to pay students an hourly rate to do some research during the semester.

Finally, there are numerous research opportunities off campus during the summer. Many universities, national labs, and observatories host "REU" (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs. Often these are quite competitive, and require applications to be submitted (typically) in February. If you are thinking of participating in an REU program off campus, you can check out the National Science Foundation's list of REU programs. There is also a list of astronomy summer opportunities. Talk to faculty members to get advice and to request letters of recommendation. We also keep binders (with physics and astro REU information, respectively) in the Physics lounge. Because it is not guaranteed that a given student can do summer research on campus any given summer, we strongly encourage students to start looking into off-campus research opportunities starting in December or, at the very latest, January.

Working with a Swarthmore faculty member can often lead to research experience off-campus. Here are some of the major off-campus facilities used by our faculty and students.

Of special interest to astronomy students: The Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium (KNAC) is a consortium of eight small liberal arts colleges: Swarthmore, Haverford, Colgate, Vassar, Wesleyan, Williams, Wellesley, and Middlebury. Students from these eight schools can apply to spend the summer at one of the other seven campuses, and work on a project with a faculty member at that school. The consortium hosts a meeting every fall at which students present the results of their summer research. The meeting is open to all students, not just ones who have done the summer exchange. Applications for the KNAC exchange program were due February 8, 2009. They are generally due in early February, each year.