GeminiFocus October 2014 | Page 27

— shared their energy and enthusiasm at the Gemini North telescope during the past semester. As described below, Johanna and Rosemary’s experiences perfectly capture the spirit and essence of the program. Their impressions, as well as those of the PIs who supported them, reveal the broad impact of their experiences on our staff. Steve Howell, Project Scientist for NASA’s Kepler and K2 MIssions, and PI for the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI), tapped into Gemini’s new Bring One, Get One program to support Johanna in a visit to Gemini North during the recent DSSI visiting instrument run in July 2014. That run proved to be extremely successful; the data acquired with the instrument helped to show that at least half of all exoplanet host stars are binary. Johanna was there to participate in the process and share in the excitement first-hand. Howell points out that the Bring One, Get One program “comes at a time when many young astronomers have little to no experience actually using a telescope.” Lamenting the closure of several national observatories, Howell adds that this situation leaves students with few opportunities to go to real telescopes and experience the collecting, reducing, and analysis of data. Which, he comments, “is a fundamental learning experience for a scientist.” Johanna found that her visit not only provided her with an opportunity to experience real-life observing but to also interact and network with the DSSI team more deeply, especially during periods of bad weather. “It was frustrating that we lost some time due to bad weather,” she says, “but during those times, I got to know the other DSSI team members pretty well. They are full of good advice and interesting ideas about science and science careers.” Following shortly on the heels of Johanna’s visit, Rosemary Pike, who previously worked as October 2014 a Science Operations Specialist at Gemini, returned as a Bring One, Get One visiting student with the COLOSSOS (COLours for the Outer Solar System Object Survey) program team, one of the many ongoing observations in Gemini’s new Large and Long programs mode. “This was another successful observing run,” says head of Gemini North’s science operations Sandy Leggett. “It was very gratifying to get an email after the run from the PI with the subject line: Your Staff are Awesome!” Rosemary Pike (center, foreground), with part of the COLOSSOS team, including the Large and Long program PI Wes Fraser (left) and Michelle Bannister (right) during their observing run at Gemini North. Rosemary, who spent a total of seven nights either at the telescope or operating remotely from the Hilo Base Facility, said that her previous experiences at Gemini North were especially helpful in “easing the transition into observing my own programs.” Nevertheless, she adds, “it was still very challenging to run the Queue and the team’s Large and Long program for seven nights.” Gemini encourages all visiting PIs to consider the Bring One, Get One opportunity for their students. “This is a commitment we are making to the future of our science,” says Leggett. To other young, budding astronomers, Johanna advises, “Take this opportunity while you can. The benefit is orders of magnitude greater than the effort it takes to apply.” Peter Michaud leads Gemini’s Public Information and Outreach Office and can be reached at: [email protected] GeminiFocus 25