REACH (Research Experiences in Astronomy at CIERA for High School Students)

United States, Illinois, Evanston

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Northwestern University

Competitiveness: 3/5

Requirements

Several Essays

School Profile

Online Application From

Parent/Guardian Consent

Official Transcript *

Unofficial Transcript *

1 Recommendation *

Jun 12 — Jun 30

Jul 10 — Jul 28

Jul 31 — Aug 18

1500 USD — 2500 USD

Application is closed

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Need Help?

Learn more about the application process in the Blog or by scheduling a free consultation with the Summer Program adviser

REACH (Research Experiences in Astronomy at CIERA for High School Students)

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Key Facts

REACH (Research Experiences in Astronomy at CIERA for High School Students) is a highly interactive program that provides high school students experience with astronomy research in an atmosphere of team-style learning, hands-on training, and mentorship from professional scientists. Sessions consist of a 3-week core program followed by REACH Further, a limited availability extended research project.

Interest Areas:

Computer Science

Physical Sciences

Pre-college

Research

STEM

Technology & Innovation

Grade:

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Other features:

Non-credit

Commuter

Financial Aid

Final project

Academics

Students enrolled in the program engage in astronomy research projects with CIERA astronomers. The program begins with an intensive introduction to necessary research skills, focusing on learning the Python programming language and gaining a background in astronomy. Students then apply their programming skills to complete one or more mini projects built upon research actively being done at CIERA. No prior experience with computer programming or Astronomy is needed, nor is it assumed. Accepted students to REACH Further dive deeper into an independent research project under the supervision of a CIERA mentor.

Format

This is strictly a daytime program. Housing for students is currently unavailable.

Program Details

Core Program

Learn to work with data! This includes an extensive introduction to programming and scientific data analysis with the Python programming language, with additional topics such as:
- Working with astronomical images
- High Performance Computing (supercomputers)
- Data visualization
Learn about Astronomy! Learn about stars, planets, galaxies, and cosmology while putting the programming skills you are learning to work with hands-on computer programming activities.
Research projects! Put your computer programming skills to good use by working on real astronomy research projects put together by CIERA scientists from their own research interests. At the end of the core program, you’ll give a presentation on what you found!
Extracurriculars! Learn about the college experience, astronomy powered career paths, science communication. Participate in other social events, including solar observing.

REACH Further – limited availability

Students participating in REACH Further will conduct an independent research project with a CIERA scientist mentor. These students will work with their mentors to set daily and weekly goals as they dive deeper into astronomy research, culminating in a presentation on their work at the end of the session.
Meetings with cohort and program coordinator twice per week
Daily meetings with mentor (may be virtual)
Independent work on research project by the student, with an expectation of approximately 5 hours a day. Exact hours are flexible, and the student can opt to do much of the work remotely.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for the program, students must:
1 - Be a current high school student at time of application.
2 - Be able to arrange their own transportation to and from the program.
3 - Receive permission from a parent/guardian.

The REACH program is dedicated to engaging students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields, and so we particularly encourage such students to apply!

Application Components

Several Essays

School Profile

Online Application From

Parent/Guardian Consent

Official Transcript *

Unofficial Transcript *

1 Recommendation *

To complete the application you will need:
1. Applicant’s basic contact information, parental contact information, and grade level.
2. Name and address of applicant’s high school
3. A 1-page essay:
Pick a recent (past few years) science news article and write about what you found exciting and interesting in the story. 500-1000 words.
The central focus of the essay should be how the news article is related to your interests – why you found it exciting and/or why it matters to you.
Science news articles should be drawn from a reputable source.
Examples include www.sciencenews.org, www.astronomy.com, www.quantamagazine.org, or www.cnn.com/specials/space-science, and more.
4. Short answer essay:
- Please describe your interest in CIERA’s REACH program.
- Some prompts could include how this program fits in your career or schooling goals, what you hope to get out of this program, or what you are most excited about in this program.
5. (Optional) A current transcript for the applicant
6. (Optional) A recommending teacher’s name and email address. Teacher can send a letter of recommendation to an email address provided on the application.