Department of Astronomy

IU Astronomy graduate students hosted a "Python for Astronomers" Hands-On Crash Course on February 8 for undergraduates interested in astronomy or adjacent sciences.

From the organizer Brandon Radzom: "During the session, students learned about what Python is, why astronomers use it, and how to get it set up on their personal computers. Once they were ready to start coding, grad students performed live demonstrations teaching the students the fundamentals of the programming language, culminating in an analysis of a Type 1a supernova light curve. A more advanced Python session will be held on March 1 (at 5 pm in SW 208), covering more powerful tools and packages that astronomy researchers use regularly in their code."

Astronomy graduate students running the program were:  Brandon Radzom, Kyle Hixenbaugh, Robert Howard, Kristin Baker, Ethan White and Lexi Gault.  The session was entirely organized and run by our graduate students with presenters, Brandon, Kyle, and Robert demonstrating installation techniques, python fundamentals, and plotting while Ethan, Kristin, and Lexi circled the room to give help to those attending.  If you are an undergraduate and interested in using Python, this is an excellent way to get an in-depth introduction.

Congratulations to the team and especially Brandon, who organized a fantastic event. 

For more information about the undergraduate experience in Astronomy at IU, please visit: https://astro.indiana.edu/undergraduate/index.html

For more information about the graduate experience in Astronomy at IU, please visit: https://astro.indiana.edu/graduate/index.html