Sierra Stars Observatory Grant

The Sierra Stars Observatory offers a grant program for observing time for selected projects. Submitted project proposals must be well thought out and specifically targeted. Long range search and survey proposals will not generally be accepted. The intent is to make the best use of the available observing time for the Sierra Stars Observatory Grant Program and give opportunities to as many people as practical.

The grant program is sponsered by the Sierra Stars Observatory and the SSO telescope is the primary telescope used for our grant program. However, any and all other partner observatories are welcome and encouraged to participate and contribute observing time.

All grant proposals are reviewed by the Sierra Stars Observatory Grant Review Board. The review board is comprised of professional astronomers who determine the merit and worthiness of the submitted proposals and make selections accordingly.

Before submitting a grant proposal, keep the following guidelines in mind:

Grant proposals must be specific and targeted with a clearly defined goal that can be accomplished in a reasonable time. Vague or poorly defined proposals will not be considered.
All grantees must agree to write a paper on their project that is well written and succinctly articulates the goals and results of the project.
Accepted projects successfully completed will be published and highlighted on the Sierra Stars Observatory web site. We also strongly encourage grantees to submit papers on their project to astronomy journals and magazines as well.
The subject or object (solar system, stellar, galactic, and so on) of a proposal is open, limited primarily to the appropriateness of the equipment and time constraints of the Sierra Stars Observatory.
The amount of observing time granted is determined by the SSON Grant Review Board.

Grant Proposal Requirements
ry Grant Proposal Format

Grant proposals must be submitted in a Microsoft Word or similar editable document format. Email message submissions alone are not accepted. Each grant proposal must include the following information:

Title of the proposed project.
Project premise and objective.
Detailed description of the methods, tools, and presentation of the project.
Biography and background information about the person/persons leading the project.
Contact information including: Name(s), affiliated organization (if any), mailing address, telephone number, and email address.

The SSON Grant Review board will notify prospective grantees of the acceptance or rejection of proposals in a timely manner. Upon acceptance of a grant proposal, grantees are assigned an advisor for their project. The advisor will be either a Grant Review Board member or an appropriate person chosen by the board.

Submit Sierra Stars Observatory Grant proposals to: ssogrant@sierrastars.com.

Sierra Stars Observatory Grant Review Board
Sierra Stars Observatory Grant Review Board

The Sierra Stars Observatory Grant Review Board members are professional astronomers with extensive experience in using automated telescope systems for education and research.

Dr. Robert Mutel

Dr. Robert Mutel is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. He is a leading expert on developing and implementing automated observatory facilities for education and research. Dr. Mutel uses the Iowa Robotic Telescope and the Rigel Project Telescope remotely in Arizona for his astronomy courses at the University of Iowa. To see more about his background and interests, Click Here.

Dr. James Neff

Dr. James Neff is an Professor of Physics & Astronomy, College of Charleston, & University of Charleston, SC. He manages the local observatory at the college and was instrumental in establishing the consortium for the automated remote observatory at the University of the Virgin Islands on the island of Saint Thomas. To see more about his background and interests, Click Here.

Dr. Paul S. Hardersen

Dr. Paul S. Hardersen is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Space Studies at the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks. Dr. Hardersen, who has been a member of the faculty since August 2003, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in observational astronomy, astrobiology, the history of astronomy, and on the worth and rationales of space exploration, science, and development. Dr. Hardersen’s primary research activity involves near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy of main-belt asteroids to constrain their surface mineralogy and to gain greater insight into the physical, chemical, and thermal conditions of the early solar system. He is currently conducting a program to obtain near-IR spectra of the M-asteroids, which is funded by the NASA Planetary Astronomy Program.

At UND, Dr. Hardersen is working to improve the capabilities of the UND Observatory, which is located ~10 miles west of Grand Forks in the Red River Valley (http://observatory.space.edu). As the observatory manager, Dr. Hardersen is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the department’s current Internet observatory and Small Radio Telescope. Future plans include the installation of a 2nd small Internet observatory, as well as the eventual construction of ~1-meter class professional observatory. To see more about his background and interests, Click Here.