Twenty-three new undergraduate majors have chosen to make IU Astronomy their college home this year. Most of our new majors come from Indiana hometowns around the state. IU is one of the very few colleges in Indiana that offer a degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics, and is the largest and most research-intensive astronomy program in the state.
Our new majors were welcomed with pizza and an opportunity to meet people in the department with whom they will be working. Robert Howard described the upcoming Python coding workshop that helps students learn to code. Jordan Bruce described undergraduate research opportunities and how to get involved, Jessica Ranshaw invited them to take an active part in our outreach program. Professor Katherine Rhode spoke about our new Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics Course incoming students will take in the spring, and Professor Constantine Deliyannis encouraged students to take advantage of all the department has to offer. Finally Zach Vaughn, our undergraduate advisor, explained the role of our undergraduate advisors and the services and help they can provide.
The meeting was followed by a department tour, pizza, and informal discussion to help students get to know each other. A highlight was a drawing for one lucky student to win a Celestron 130-mm Newtonian Astro FI telescope donated to the department for this purpose. We very much look forward to working with all of our new students!
The College of Arts