The advent of the GBO opening and subsequent use has stimulated remarkable interest among our undergraduate physics majors and astronomy minors. Several “Senior Thesis” for both the major and minor have been completed and many more are underway. These include photometry of interacting galaxies, exoplanet light curve studies and variable star observations. The GBO has provided an amazing opportunity for our students.
The physics department at UNR is in the process of expanding our astrophysics offerings and adding to our faculty in astrophysics. Having the GBO available for research has certainly been a bonus and will allow new faculty an avenue for graduate student research projects immediately.
We are also extremely excited about the outreach opportunities GBO offers. We have already participated in the “Reach for the Stars” program by offering fifth graders at a local elementary school an “astronomy afternoon” including solar viewing. As a follow up we did a “Women in Science” discussion panel at a local bookstore.
We are proud partners of GBO and look forward to the coming years as the research and outreach continues!