Carnegie Astrophysics Summer Student Internship Program (CASSI)

The dates for the 2023 CASSI program will be:
June 19 - August 25, 2023
Program Overview
The Carnegie Astrophysics Summer Student Internship Program (CASSI) is a 10 week, paid internship and educational program based at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena. We welcome a diverse cohort of 10-15 undergraduates from colleges and universities in Southern California to join Carnegie astronomers in collaborative original research projects.
The program immerses interns in the campus life at the Carnegie Observatories. From scientific talks by Observatories scientists to CASSI group meetings focused on developing an array of skills and discussing a variety of topics related to the professional astronomy community, each week of the program is designed to provide interns with the tools that will set them up for for success in the program and beyond.
CASSI features structured mentoring by Carnegie Observatories faculty and postdoctoral fellows, as well as other forms of professional development workshops that are intended to fully support the students throughout the the program and in their future careers.

Research
Using data from Carnegie's telescopes, students will have the chance to work on topics such as exoplanets, early galaxies, black holes, and dark matter.
Previous Projects
Mentoring
CASSI interns are paired with broader mentoring teams to help support their development during their time at Carnegie and beyond.
Our Faculty & Postdocs

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
One of the goals of CASSI is to increase participation and retention of under-represented groups in astronomy. We encourage Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous scholars, first-generation college students, and women to apply. CASSI interns participate in programming highlighting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Astronomy, as well as STEM more generally. The students also organize an annual outreach program for Upward Bound high school students where they share their expertise on college with potential first-generation college students.

Science Communication
CASSI interns participate in a wide range of programs during the summer aimed at improving their scientific communication. These range from writing and poster workshops to short weekly oral presentations of their work. The program culminates in a symposium where all students present the results of their research program to the Observatories community. Upon successful completion of the program, all students will also be given the opportunity to attend the American Astronomical Society meeting the following January to present their research.
Contact the CASSI Director
Director of the CASSI Program, Gwen Rudie, is a Staff Scientist at Carnegie who specializes in observational studies of distant galaxies and the diffuse gas which surrounds them, called the circumgalactic medium. She is also a Project Scientist for the Magellan Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph (MIRMOS), a near-infrared multi-object spectrograph and integral field unit to be deployed at the Magellan 6.5-meter telescopes at Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Rudie is deeply committed to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in science, leading multiple programs at the Observatories. She was also a member of the Carnegie Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and the Carnegie Climate Survey Working Group.
Email GwenMore Information
- AstroBetter: A blog with lots of useful resources for the astronomer.
- Astrobites: write-ups about astronomy papers by grad students for undergraduates
- AAS Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy
- AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy
- AAS Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy
- Women in Astronomy blog
- Astronomy in Color blog
- Working Group on Accessibility and Disability
- Guide to reading astronomy papers and participating in astronomy seminars
- The Carnegie Observatories Help pages. For technical info specific to our campus.
- Local information about Pasadena.
- Approachable Experts.