{"id":66824,"date":"2022-09-02T11:52:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T18:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=66824"},"modified":"2022-09-02T12:44:34","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T19:44:34","slug":"astroinformatics-bootcamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/astroinformatics-bootcamp\/","title":{"rendered":"How an astroinformatics bootcamp is making the universe accessible"},"content":{"rendered":"

The room is large, with half a dozen students spaced out from one end to the other. It\u2019s overcast outside, and the lights are dimmed inside. The room is still with the hum of quiet whispers and tapping on keyboards; students are engaged with their computer screens, though they occasionally talk to the student at the next table over or call for a professor.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A casual observer might not suspect that those students were answering the questions of the universe and asking a few of their own at the same time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the scene during NAU\u2019s inaugural astroinformatics boot camp, a joint venture between the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science (DAPS) and the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS). DAPS Chair <\/span>David Trilling<\/span><\/b>, SICCS assistant professor <\/span>Michael Gowanlock<\/span><\/b> and SICCS master\u2019s student <\/span>Daniel Kramer<\/span><\/b> ran the bootcamp, which<\/span> was funded by the Las Cumbres Observatory and the Heising-Simons Foundation with the goal of increasing diversity in astronomy- and computer science-related fields.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s an important goal, not only for NAU but also for these disciplines. Recent studies show that physical sciences and computer sciences are near the bottom in terms of bachelor\u2019s degrees awarded to many underrepresented groups, and that means less diversity of ideas and in creative problem-solving. It also limits career opportunities in stable fields; according to the NSF, unemployment is lower for scientists and engineers than other occupations, and they\u2019re on average higher-paying jobs. As a Hispanic Serving Institute, it\u2019s part of NAU\u2019s mission as well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy providing hands-on training to students from underrepresented backgrounds, we are helping to create potential career paths for students from Arizona and our region, as well as contributing to the growth of the national STEM economy,\u201d Trilling said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seven students, who come from a range of majors and backgrounds, spent a week in August before the semester started immersed in big data\u2014universe-sized data, in fact. They were working with images from large telescopes to study asteroids. The problem is that there is an enormous amount of data produced by these all-sky astronomical surveys. So the students made the universe smaller. They wrote and tested algorithms that measured asteroid properties, looked for unusual or changing asteroid behaviors and identified the most efficient computer science algorithms to employ.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are the skills that the students\u2014all seniors this year\u2014will take into their job search or graduate career regardless of the field they pursue.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the best things you can do, especially if you don\u2019t know which career path you\u2019re going into, is to just get as much experience as you can and try new things,\u201d participant <\/span>Michael Rocha<\/span><\/b> said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seven students participated in the bootcamp:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n