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Opportunities for Graduate Students (1Mar95) (from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 41, 1 March 1995) KPNO has for many years provided opportunities for graduate students to learn the trade of observational astronomy through access to telescopes. The participation by graduate students in observing runs on Kitt Peak has become an important part of the training of new observational astronomers: KPNO supports thesis observations for dozens of graduate students from more than 20 institutions each year. Since only about 100 PhD degrees are granted in all fields of astronomy each year in the US, KPNO is thus supporting a large fraction of all theses in optical and IR astronomy. Most thesis observations taken at KPNO are carried out on our small telescopes, and we are concerned that under the new operations plan, thesis students' hands-on access to telescopes will decrease. To address this concern, we encourage students to plan extended visits to Kitt Peak to participate in and assist with observatory related service. Thesis students who wish to take advantage of this opportunity should contact the KPNO Director's Office. We can support travel expenses and room and board on the mountain for a limited number of students each semester who wish to gain experience in hands-on observing with optical telescopes. The advantages for graduate students participating in this program are not only to gain observing experience but also to learn about instrumentation and to meet astronomers outside their own institutions. Caty Pilachowski
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