Title: Research in Astronomy to Involve Students in Science and Encourage Scientific Careers
Abstract: Boyce Research Initiatives and Education Foundation (BRIEF) is a San Diego based non-profit with a mission to provide scientific and technical research opportunities to enhance the educational experience of students and to introduce them to the scientific and technical communities. Since 2014, BRIEF programs have evolved from the classroom setting to an online hybrid instructional model involving community colleges and high schools. Over 300 students have participated by authoring nearly 50 published scientific papers to date. BRIEF will outline this trajectory and its current programs. Students begin with a semester-long double star astrometry seminar where they propose research, conduct observations, reduce the data and author a scientific paper. Next, they tackle photometry by doing exoplanet transit observations and submitting their reduced observational data as members of BRIEF’s NASA / MIT TESS SG1 team. With this background, students are then encouraged to pursue their interests in independent astrometry or photometry projects with self-paced instructional materials tailored to their project needs. BRIEF instructors and students will present how these programs are performed and their impact on students considering astronomy and STEM careers.