Summer school on astronomical instrumentation for undergraduates and graduate students.

July 9-13, 2024 

University of California, Berkeley

About AstroTech 2024

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AstroTech FAQ’s

 

AstroTech is a 1-week astronomical instrumentation summer school for individuals interested in a career in instrumentation. Participants gain hands-on experience as they work in small teams to design, build, and test an optical instrument and become part of a community committed to excellence, equity, and inclusion.

Unique aspects of AstroTech

  • AstroTech broadly covers all aspects of astronomical instrumentation, including principles of optics, instrument development, career development in instrumentation, inclusive teamwork and collaboration.
  • Participants spend the majority of time working in teams and getting hands-on experience in an optics lab.
  • AstroTech provides a career networking session with people working in instrumentation in industry, academia, and government sectors.
  • AstroTech is free for all participants accepted, including travel and lodging.
  • AstroTech has a specific goal of increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion within astronomical instrumentation.
  • Participants who join AstroTech are part of a community that aims to increase and support the participation of women and under-represented groups in the field of instrumentation.

AstroTech is a UC and Keck Observatory collaboration

AstroTech is offered through a collaboration of the Keck All-Sky Precision Adaptive Optics (KAPA) instrument team and the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators (ISEE), and is one of many outcomes of the long astronomy partnership between University of California Observatories and W. M. Keck Observatory. ISEE has been developing and offering programs like AstroTech for 20 years, and has earned the highest U.S. award for STEM mentoring. Jessica Lu (UC Berkeley) and Lisa Hunter (ISEE, UC Santa Cruz) are the AstroTech principal investigators.

Funding for AstroTech

AstroTech is funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation and by the National Science Foundation through the Keck All-Sky Precision Adaptive Optics (KAPA) project (AST#1836016).

Contact Us

Individuals with questions about AstroTech should contact:

AstroTech program staff at astrotech@ucsc.edu or see contact information for all instructors and staff here.