As this spring semester comes to a close, the graduate student-led PyIU initiative completes its fourth year of programming—and what an eventful year it was!
PyIU is a Python workshop series organized by astronomy graduate students that aims to equip undergraduates and high school students with the coding skills necessary to engage in STEM research and more broadly promote interest in STEM and astrophysics. Enabled by support from NASA's Indiana Space Grant, IU College of Arts + Sciences, and the IU Astronomy Department, a record number of nine workshops were held during the 2025-2026 academic year, including the program's first external community-serving events. In total, 17 PyIU instructors worked together to teach Python and astrophysics to more than 120 registered workshop attendees, nearly 70% of which were Indiana high school students from Monroe and surrounding counties!
PyIU instructor Brandon Radzom (left) poses with visiting students from Eastern Greene High School by IU's Sample Gates following our Python workshop and pizza lunch.
For many workshop attendees, PyIU was their first time coding in Python and also trying their hand at astronomy, and this year's lessons covered a wide variety of topics. Attendees had the opportunity to practice statistical methods, data fitting, visualization techniques, simulations, machine learning, and much more all in the context of astronomy and physics, gaining authentic research-adjacent experience by working with real astronomical data from IU graduate students and NASA-hosted archives. Students from Mitchell High School, Eastern Greene High School, and the Boys and Girls Club of Morgan County were additionally provided tours of IU Astronomy's 14-inch rooftop telescopes and the historic Kirkwood Observatory as part of their visit to campus.
This year, PyIU instructors also hosted their very first Educator Workshop, Python for STEM Educators: Tools to Incorporate Coding, Astronomy, and Research in Your Classroom, which was virtually attended by K-12 instructors from nearly every corner of Indiana, as well as four other states. By providing teachers with the skills and resources necessary to incorporate Python, astrophysics, and research experiences into their curricula, we were able to increase the impact of the PyIU program significantly in our state and beyond.
Such a successful year would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all our PyIU instructors and generous support from our sponsoring partners. Special thanks are in order to Robert Howard, who has taken on the responsibility of Lead Organizer following my departure, Prof. Samir Salim, who has provided oversight as our faculty PI for the Space Grant, and the rest of the 2025-2026 PyIU Organizing Committee: Kristin Baker, Lexi Gault, Sarah Popp, and Jessica Ranshaw.
A subset of PyIU instructors gather together for a group photo. From left to right: Ryan LoRusso, Amelia Binau, Caleb Choban, Sarah Popp, Lexi Gault, Robert Howard (top), and Katherine Barber, Daniel Gallego, Laurin Gray, Kristin Baker, Brandon Radzom (bottom).
The College of Arts