University of Richmond students leave the classroom to explore the cosmos at the Green Bank Observatory
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Trip provided rare, behind-the-scenes access and deepened understanding of astronomy.
Far from cell service and city lights, a group of University of Richmond physics students and faculty recently returned from a unique learning experience — a visit to the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia.
The astronomical observatory is located within the National Radio Quiet Zone — meaning there is no cell service or Wi-Fi. Green Bank is home to many state-of-the-art telescopes and instruments that help scientists worldwide explore the universe.
Organized by the Society of Physics Students from the University of Richmond and the University of Mary Washington, the trip brought together 11 Richmond students, seven MWC students, and faculty from both schools. Richmond physics professors Mariama Rebello Sousa Dias and Ted Bunn accompanied the group.
“The site visit and technical tour were amazing,” said Dias, who organized the experience. “Students had access to places not open to the public, such as the control rooms of two deactivated telescopes.”
For Po Huang, a senior majoring in physics and minoring in philosophy, the trip offered an opportunity to step outside his usual focus on condensed matter physics and explore radio astronomy.
“This trip showed me the significant roles radio astronomy played in our exploration of the universe and human technological advancements, including GPS,” Huang said.
The group ran into an unfortunate snag that led to an unexpected silver lining. A power outage prevented the group from collecting the data they were hoping for because the telescopes were down.
“The Green Bank Observatory usually has a strict no digital device zone around the telescopes, as the radio signals emitted from our devices are a detriment to radio astronomy experiments,” Huang said. “But since the telescopes weren't operating due to the power outage, we took amazing pictures of the telescopes and the beautiful night sky.”