T. H. Robertson, T. M. Jordan (Ball State University)
Over the past 15 years many Ball State University undergraduate students and a few graduate students have participated in astronomical research activities at NURO. These activities have been complemented by observations at the Ball State University Observatory in recent years. The projects completed have been used to fulfill requirements of Undergraduate Research fellowships, Honors Research fellowships, honors theses and master’s theses. The data collected have been primarily CCD photometric data on the Kron-Cousins BVRI photometric system with additional observations using an intermediate-band CaH filter. Observations have been used to determine luminosity classes for red stars identified on objective-prism surveys and in photometric searches in the 2MASS catalog. Photometric parallaxes have also been determined for red dwarf stars. Results have been presented at professional meetings over the past ten years. This paper will review the benefits of these activities for both science and non-science majors and the products of this research.
Some data for these projects were obtained at the Lowell Observatory 0.78 m telescope, which, under an agreement with Northern Arizona University and the NURO Consortium, is operated 33% of the time as the National Undergraduate Research Observatory. Funding for this project has been provided by the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, the Arizona Space Grant Consortium, the National Science Foundation REU Program and Ball State University.
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.