One of the unfortunate realities about astrophysics is that the current population of astrophysicists does not reflect the US population as a whole. This means that there are many groups that are underrepresented in the astronomical community. These groups are reservoirs of talent--science would benefit greatly by their participation. More generally, there is still a strong need to increase the scientific literacy of the population as a whole.
In order to generate the excitement that is necessary for young people to learn science (and perhaps pursue a career in science), one must reach the student's imagination. The best way to do this is by involving them in research projects. There is nothing quite lie the feeling of discovering something new to inspire a prospective scientist. For this reason, we have begun a program to mentor students in local high schools by having them undertake small research projects in areas of astrophysics and astronomy that interest them. In the course of carrying out these projects, the students learn a whole host of skills, from practical thinking to project organization, from computer programming to basic physics. The goal of the projects is not necessarily to produce a published result (although that is a possible outcome), but to give the students experience in the process of research.
As an example, one recent project involved measuring the distance and brightness distribution of asteroids discovered in the DeepLens Survey images. Although the program is available to students from all high schools in Providence and the surrounding communities, we are especially interested in promoting excitement about science in those communities where it is least available. If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact me via e-mail at ian at het.brown.edu or by phone at (401)-863-1154.
