Additional Information
Honors Program
Some ASTRO and PASTR majors are in the Schreyer Honors College. This is a University-wide honors program for academically advanced students designed to challenge, enrich, and broaden their general education, and to deepen their preparation for graduate study or a profession. The first opportunity for entrance is at the time of admission, with a separate application to the Honors College. After beginning at Penn State, students can apply for "gateway" admission in the spring of the freshman or sophomore years.
Schreyer Scholars may choose from a wide variety of special honors courses and sections offered to satisfy Penn State's General Education component. Students’ progress in their fields of specialization is enhanced by special courses, independent study and research, graduate courses, and honors-option work in regular courses. Honors study in the freshman and sophomore years concentrates mainly on General Education (e.g., honors sections in physics and math courses). In the junior and senior years, the emphasis changes to astronomy & astrophysics, with independent research (ASTRO 494H or 496H) leading to an honors thesis and an honors degree. Scholars work closely with their honors advisor to design an academic program that best suits their needs. Honors advisors are permitted considerable flexibility in approving unusual programs, which do not require petitions to the Assistant Department Head for Undergraduate Education or the dean of the college. To remain in the Schreyer Honors College, students must complete the required number of honors credits depending on their status, file annual plans of study, and maintain a specified grade-point average. More information can be obtained form the Schreyer Honors College office in 10 Schreyer Honors College, or visit their website at http://www.shc.psu.edu/
The department currently has five honors advisors: Niel Brandt, Jane Charlton, Christopher Palma, Steinn Sigurdsson, and Alex Wolszczan.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Penn State provides four types of student aid programs: grants, scholarships, loans, and employment. First-year students are automatically considered for all available University scholarships. Many ASTRO majors find summer or academic year employment in the department, assisting the faculty and staff with research. To receive an informational booklet about financial aid, contact the Office of Student Aid, 314 Shields Building or visit http://studentaid.psu.edu/
The department also nominates students with particularly strong academic records for a variety of scholarships and awards, some from within the University (e.g. Braddock Scholars) and some nationally competitive awards. Recent majors have won several coveted NSF Graduate Fellowships, Astronaut Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, NASA Scholarships, USRA Scholarships and Fulbright Fellowships. Information and applications for scholarships can be obtained from the Undergraduate Fellowships Office, 321 Boucke Building or by visiting https://ufo.psu.edu/
The Department has endowments for two internal scholarships, the Kadtke Family Scholarship and the Mercedes Richards Memorial Scholarship. The Department Undergraduate Program committee selects students for these scholarships based on the eligibility criteria established by the donors. Students are typically notified late in the spring if they have won the award for the following academic year.
Astronomy Club
The University Park Allocation Committee supports an Astronomy Club that is associated with the department. The club owns several telescopes and uses department telescopes on the roof of Davey Laboratory. In addition to star parties, road trips and other activities, the club organizes Astronomy Open Houses for the Penn State/State College community. Majors interested in amateur observing, learning the sky, or just having fun with astronomy are encouraged to join the club.
There are several other clubs that students in our majors frequently lead or join, including:
- Pulsar Search Collaboratory
- Society of Physics Students
- Physics and Astronomy for Women (PAW)
- Eberly College of Science Student Council
- oSTEM
- NEXUS
Computing Facilities
In addition to the University's widely distributed laboratories with personal computers, the department has a number of modern Mac OS X workstations and PC's for undergraduate research purposes. Students engaged in research need to contact their faculty research supervisor to make a formal request for access to these machines. Additional workstations specifically devoted to undergraduate education in astronomy and related fields are located in the Undergrad Research Lab in Davey Lab room 531.
Other Opportunities, including study abroad
Most students gain valuable experience in outside of the classroom learning through participating in undergraduate research or through a research experience at another institution through an NSF REU program. However, many students are interested in other experiences, such as study abroad, internships, and co-op programs.
Education Abroad
A traditional study abroad can be a challenge to include in the ASTRO major because the sequence of courses in the major is fairly rigid and is not easily replaced at another institution. The PASTR major has more flexibility, and thus a study abroad program may be easier to include in that major. Some ASTRO students have felt that study abroad is a very important aspect of their undergraduate career and completed a traditional study abroad experience anyway. An advisor will work on an academic plan with any student interested in pursuing study abroad. However, there are other options for doing study abroad that may not interfere with an entire semester. These include:
- Short-term programs, such as science courses abroad and summer schools abroad
- Summer REU programs at sites outside of the continental US, such as CERN in Switzerland or the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico
For expert assistance on all of the study abroad opportunities for Penn State students, we recommend meeting with the staff in the Eberly College of Science Office of Science Engagement.
http://scienceengagement.psu.edu/education-abroad/
Internships and Co-ops
The Office of Science Engagement is also the home for expertise related to internships and cooperative education (co-op) programs. The large majority of students in our majors choose to do research at Penn State in lieu of an internship or co-op, and neither of these programs are required for our majors. However, if you are strongly considering an industry career, an internship or co-op program is a good supplement to involvement in undergraduate research.
Students in our majors are often interested in opportunities at NASA. NASA has recently begun their One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) that allows students to apply for many opportunities at NASA with a single application. In particular, our students have found opportunities at the nearby NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in recent years. Students interested in internships and co-op experiences may also wish to investigate the NASA Pathways opportunities. These are full-time student positions at NASA that have the possibility to become full-time career positions after completion.
Outreach programs
The Department runs an extensive outreach program that includes hosting field trips in our planetarium, the summer AstroFest program, and many other short term programs for younger children or the community. Everyone in the department is encouraged to volunteer for our outreach programs, but students interested in a career in education (particularly in the planetarium field or in the science center field) are strongly encouraged to participate in these experiences during their undergraduate years. There are other opportunities throughout the University to become involved with science outreach, and these include the previously mentioned Astronomy Club and the Society of Physics students. In the State College community, there is also a children's science museum called "Discovery Space". They frequently have opportunities for volunteers for their children's programs and have opportunities for internships for students interested in the planetarium or science museum field.