Wisconsin REU in Astrophysics
Summer 2003

Wisconsin's 2003 REU students on their way to a fabulous destination. From left to right, are Front row: Luis Mercado (Indiana University), Dr. Bob Benjamin (Program Director), Thompson LeBlanc (Universidad Metropolitana), Luisa Zambrano (Universidad Metropolitana), Stephanie Bush (Case Western Reserve University), Second row: Kwayera Davis (College of Charleston), AJ Carver (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Kelen Tuttle (Carleton College), Sam Leitner (Wesleyan University), Kimb Moody (University of Arizona), Karl Hendrickson (Truman State University), Quendella Taylor (Northern Arizona University/Penn State), Eric Bellm (Harvard College), Amanda Heffner-Wong (Wichita State University), and Jeremy Harrison (Chicago State University).

This is the main information page for the 2003 summer REU program in Astrophysics, hosted jointly by the Astronomy and Physics departments. This summer the 10 week program will run from Monday,June 2, to Friday, Aug 8 (although allowances can be made for students who have to arrive late.) During this summer, you will be freed from those time consuming classes in order to spend a solid block of timepursuing a directed research project, using world-class facilities,with a knowledgeable advisor. At the end of the summer, you will present the results of your research and put together a set of webpages to detailing what you did. If your project is particularly successful, you will be invited to present it at an American Astronomical Society meeting, and your travel expenses to the meeting will be paid!

Summer Student Directory and Information
Student Research Pages
Picture Galleries
Information on Tripp Hall
Posters for final talks Session 1 Session 2 (MS Word versions 1 , 2 )

Stipend and housing information

Housing: You will be housed in Tripp Hall (see photos in the Picture Gallery). Everyone in our program this summer will have single, lakeview rooms with air conditioning! See the link above for more specific information. There will be male and female resident assistants (RAs) available to help you get oriented and answer your questions about housing, the University, and Madison. Rooms are available for check-in from 6 AM to 10 PM on Saturday and Sunday (May 31 and Jun 1), so try to arrive during this time. For those arriving after this time, you should be able to pick up your keys on arrival.

Your mailing address during the program will be

Tripp Hall
University of Wisconsin
1510 Tripp Circle
Madison, WI 53706

Costs covered by the REU program: The first stipend check ($1200) will be paid upon arrival (June 3), together with a meal card which can be used in Elizabeth Waters dining rooms. The meal card, which would cover 40 dinners, can also be used for breakfast and lunches. Subsequent stipend checks will be paid out on Jul 1 ($1200) and Aug 5 ($1100) assuming satisfactory progress is being made on the research projects. The director will let you know if this is potentially a problem.

The cost of housing and travel up to $400 (or the cost of the cheapest available plane ticket, for students who drive) are also covered by the program. Health insurance coverage is provided by SHIP (Student Health Insurance Program) if needed. Also, a "segregated fee" card is provided to permit access to University Health Service, libraries, computer labs, and sports/recreational facitilies.

Your first few days

Sat, May 31/Sun, Jun 1: If you are arriving by plane, there will be well-marked signs at the airport indicating how to get transportation to the University campus. We anticipate having a van service running all day on Saturday and Sunday, since students will be ariving for several other summer research programs. The trip will be free, but you will need to tell the driver who you are so that our program can be billed. If there is any problem or delays with your flight, or you can't seem to find the van service , call Bob Benjamin at his home phone (256-7565) and leave a message. For those of you who are driving into town, please let Bob know when you plan to arrive, and give him a call (at the above number) when you arrive in town. An interactive map of the campus can be found here . Click on Area 3 to get a more detailed map that shows where Tripp Hall is located (Building #203), and Area 4 to get a more detailed map that shows where Physics (Chamberlin Hall #25) and Astronomy (Sterling Hall #117) are located. When you arrive at Tripp Hall, there will be a information booklet on the REU program in Astrophysics waiting for you.

Sun, Jun 1 If you arrive on Saturday, during the day on Sunday, I suggest you settle in, and familiarize yourself with campus and Madison, and perhaps do some grocery shopping to stock up your room (particularly food for lunches). The main commercial area near campus is State Street, which contains plenty of shops and restaurants. You may also want to check out the Memorial Union, next to the Lake Monona on Langdon Dr, and the Red Gym right next door which has lots of visitor information. You can get to these buildings by using the lakeshore path that goes by your dormitory. On Sunday evening, there will be a welcome dinner. Plan on meeting at the entrance to Tripp Hall at 6 pm. The cost will be covered by the program. This will be a great opportunity to meet the other Astrophysics REU students and your program director!

Mon, Jun 2 Monday morning will feature an all program breakfast at 8 am, followed by an orientation for the Physics and Astronomy Departments. The Astrophysics orientation will start at 9 am in Sterling Hall 4534A (Building 117 on the online campus map, near the corner of University Ave. and Charter St.), and will go until noon. At lunch, you will get to meet with your advisors and start talking about research plans for the summer.

Program schedules

Astronomy and Physics Department events: There is a weekly lecture and discussion series to be held on Monday mornings in Sterling 4534A (4th floor conference room) from 11-noon. The tentative schedule is here .There will also be several field trips during the course of the program, to Pine Bluff and Yerkes Observatory, the Synchrotron Radiation Center, Argonne National Lab, and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago All summer undergraduates are welcome to attend the weekly lecture series!

University events: There are several university-wide events open to students participating in nearly a dozen summer research programs. These include welcome receptions, a program picnic, a grad school fair, and a scientific ethics movie series on Thursday nights.

Department information

Office space and phones: Many of you will have your office in Sterling 4569 (Phone number: 262-5425) unless your advisor has requested that you be placed in a different location (to be closer to your advisor or other undergraduates in your research group). Check the student directory for your office assignments.

Keys: All students will be given a set of keys which provide access to the building, your office, common areas in the astronomydepartment (seminar rooms, etc.), and the computer rooms inastronomy. Depending on your research advisor, you may also be issued additional keys. The REU program will pay your deposit. However, if you lose your keys or do not return them, this deposit will be deducted from your stipend. The deposit is $5 per key, and $15 for the computer room key.

Computer accounts: You all have been assigned an account on the main Space Physics computer, wisp11.physics.wisc.edu, and will be given your password when you arrive. Although you will probably be using other computers to do your research, this should be your primary e-mail address, and where you keep your research web pages. A skeleton web page will be provided.

After hours: You will be given keys to the building, computer rooms, and common usage rooms (seminar rooms, Woodman Astronomy Library). If you want to be in the department after hours, you will need to have an after-hours pass which will be provided for you when you first arrive.

Photocopying and office supplies: We have an REU account for photocopies set up on one machine in astronomy (Sterling 5529) and one machine in Physics (Chamberlin 6216). You will be given the photocopy code when you arrive. Do not use any other copy code unless you have permission. Duplication is for research purposes only! If you want to make personal copies, you will need to pay for it. Also,be sparing in your use of this privilege, i.e. do not copy entire books without asking permission first. If the charges become too high, the accounts will be deactivated. Access to office supplies should be discussed with your advisor.

General info

Checking accounts: Most students have a checking account that they can access with an ATM card during their stay in Madison. However, if you do not, and you want to cash your stipend checks, you must establish your own checking account in Madison. Most participants establish an account at the UW-Credit Union(www.uwcu.org). This institution is accustomed to setting up short-term accounts.

Parking: Parking is VERY limited on campus, and I would strongly discourage you from bringing a car to campus. If you must bring a car (sigh...), you should know that you won't be able to drive to and from the department each day.Moreover, you will not be allowed to rent a campus parking space unless you live more than a mile from a city bus stop. This means that you will either need to rent your own off-campus lot or park on city streets. Believe me, it's more hassle than it's worth.

Food: In addition to the meal cards provided for you (which covers the cost of 40 dinners, or more breakfasts and lunches) food is available for cash at the student unions and a number of inexpensive restaurants & food carts around campus.

You can also purchase and prepare your own meals. There will be a microwave available for your use in the dormitory den, and you will have a small individual refrigerator in your room. A set of pots and pans, dishes and silverware will be available. If you choose to bring any of your own cooking equipment, you should be careful not to leave it out, as items have been known to walk off on their own. Hot plates are not allowed in the dormitory.

Telephone service: You will have a phone provided in your dorm room, and your dorm phone is listed in the REU student directory . To make long distance calls from your dorm room, you need to have a long distance calling card. Make arrangements to get a calling card from your long distance carrier before coming to Madison. There is no charge for campus or local calls from your room. Pay phones are also available in the dorms.

Health care: All REU participants have access to the University Health Service, which offers a wide range of outpatient services at low or no cost.

Health Insurance and Contact Information: All REU participants must give the director a copy of their health insurance information, and an emergency contact number.

If you are not covered under your parent's or guardian's insurance, we will enroll you in a university program for the summer (which will give you coverage from June 1 to mid August). The program will pay for this enrollment. To enroll, you must fill out the application form mailed to you (also available at the Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) website. Just click on the link called "Enrollment Form" on the left column under the heading "Additional Resources". Insurance application is due back to the program director on May 10. Absolutely no late forms will be accepted. Instructions for filling out the form are as follows:

1. Do not send in a check or credit card number. Instead, write "REU program in Astrophysics/ Contact: Bob Benjamin (262-5916)" in the upper right corner.
2. For Local Address, use the address above (for your dormitory). For phone number, use (608) 262-5916.
3. If you are a US citizen or Permanent Resident, for Plan Type, check "Domestic". If you are not a US citizen, check "International".
4. For "Payment for:" write in "Summer only: May 31 to Aug 14"
5. Mail to the program director in the envelope provided!

Weather: Wisconsin's weather can be unpredictable. Theaverage summer temperature ranges from 75-90 F days and 55-60 Fnights. Summer weather can be very hot and humid, or cool enough to require a jacket or sweater. To cover all possibilities, bring avariety of clothing. Also, don't forget an umbrella. The first day of the program last year it was absolutely pouring. Dress in the department during the summer is completely casual. Physicists are not generally known for their sartorial skills.

Transportation The easiest way to get around campus and Madison in the summer is by bicycle. Information on how to rent a bicycle (for cheap!) will be available when you arrive. There is also a good bus system serving the city of Madison. Your segregated fees card does not cover riding the bus. The cheapest way to use the city bus system is to buy packets of bus tickets at the Service Desk on the first floor of the University Book Store (located at the base of State Street on Library Mall). The cost of these tickets is 90 cents per ride rather than $1.50 per ride.

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