Undergraduate Research

Each of our internship programs is focused on different skills and research backgrounds — from astronomy to engineering to interference protection to software development. We encourage you to tell us what general work at GBO interests you. You are welcome to identify individual GBO staff members you would like to work with, but we recommend you also talk about your broad research interests and skills. If you are interested in WV NASA Space Grant or PING positions, you must indicate that on your application or you will not be considered for these positions.

WV NASA Space Grant Positions (4 positions, 10 weeks)

1. Telescope Operations Division (Engineering; Supervisor B. Jenkins, head of telescope operations) – We are seeking a student interested in applying engineering fundamentals in the practical field of reliability and maintenance. You will be expected to work regularly with maintenance personnel to define and document maintenance procedures, be proactive in troubleshooting issues, and assist with implementation and testing of equipment modifications.  Responsibilities will include documentation, failure analysis, researching and recommending part and component replacements, use of monitoring tools to look for deviations and issues, and participating in preventative maintenance activities.
2. Electronics Division (Engineering; Supervisor Walter Klahold, Microwave engineer) – We are seeing a student to aid in the development of an upgraded radio holography for the Green Bank Telescope’s 100 m diameter primary reflector. Work here will depend on the student hired, but will range from: (a) continuing previous work on implementing a real-time RFI excision algorithm using spectral kurtosis on a field programmable gate array, (b) construct a prototype reference antenna and test its pointing capabilities with a motorized drive, (c) test the cooling performance of a Sterling cryocooler and evaluate options for vibration isolation.
3. Electronics Division (Engineering; Supervisor William Wallace, Microwave engineer) – We are looking for a student to undertake one of three possible projects, depending on the student’s ability and interests: (1) analyze current outdoor antenna measurement software and rewrite with python 3.8; (2)  write and test the idea of using a user-facing system taking advantage of Llama (Large Language Model Meta AI) to search through all GBT memos and manuals to enable interactive learning; (3) investigate and identify commercial, off-the-shelf distributed systems for radio hazard environments, including cost, challenges, etc. 
4. Plant Maintenance Division (Engineering;  Supervisor Adam Taylor, Head of Plant Maintenance & Machine Shop) – We are seeking a motivated summer engineering intern to support Green Bank Observatory’s Maintenance and Mechanical Division. This internship is designed for an engineering student interested in learning how to machine custom, one-of-a-kind parts and assist with maintaining and improving facility equipment and infrastructure. The intern will work alongside experienced technicians and engineers to gain hands-on exposure to machining processes, tools, and safety practices, as well as assist in routine maintenance, troubleshooting, and improvement projects within the facility. This role provides valuable practical experience, reinforces engineering fundamentals, and offers insight into real-world manufacturing and maintenance environments.

US National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (5 positions, 10-11 weeks)

Full project descriptions for these positions will be filled in as they are available, but they will cover astronomy research topics from star formation to the HI content of galaxies to pulsars and more.

1. High-Mass Star Formation (Supervisor: Will Armentrout, Scientist)
2. Astronomy Topic TBD (Supervisor: Toney Minter, Scientist)
3. Astronomy Topic TBD (Supervisor: Anika Schmiedeke, Scientist)
4. Astronomy Topic TBD (Supervisor: Evan Smith, Scientific Data Analyst)
5. Cyclic Spectroscopy Studies of Pulsars (Supervisor: Jacob Turner, Postdoctoral Fellow) – Cyclic spectroscopy is a signal processing technique that has the potential to revolutionize about how pulsar astronomers study the interstellar medium. This benefit is contingent on the technique’s ability to recover the ISM’s transfer function, which can be quantified by the cyclic figure of merit. While there have been extensive studies performed regarding the capabilities of this technique for the millisecond pulsar population, there have been effectively no studies exploring this techniques capabilities for the slower rotating, canonical pulsar population. This project will use the cyclic figure of merit to determine whether any sources within the latter population may be able to take advantage of this technique.

Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation Research Internships (2 positions, 10-11 weeks)

Descriptions for these two projects are not yet available, but they will either be in the areas of astronomy or software engineering.

1. Astronomy or Software Engineering (Supervisor: TBD)
2. Astronomy or Software Engineering (Supervisor: TBD)

SpectrumX Research Experience (1 position, 10 weeks)

1 – Spectrum Weather Monitoring (Green Bank Interference Protection;  Supervisor: Dan Bautista, RFI Data Analyst) – Applicants for this position will apply through a different site than other Green Bank interns. (SpectrumX Application Portal). The student will work to identify trends in spectrum use (daily, weekly, seasonally) and the classification of sources (local vs non-local) of received transmissions. The student may also assist with preparations of the CHIME dataset for use in the Dynamic Radio Interference Finding Tool (DRIFT).