Outreach | Gravitational Waves and Cosmology

Programs & Resources

Dr. Lorimer teaching Pulsar Research Collaboratory students.

Pulsar Science Collaboratory

The Pulsar Science Collaboratory is an out-of-school-time citizen science project for students aged 13 and up. The PSC is a partnership program between West Virginia University and the Green Bank Observatory. Learn more about the PSC.

SPOT ambassador working with elementary school children on project

WV Science Public Outreach Team

The West Virginia Science Public Outreach Team (WV SPOT) inspires an appreciation of STEM and STEM careers in K-12 students through the delivery of interactive presentations by undergraduate students, which highlight innovative science and engineering research in the Mountain State. Learn more about WV SPOT...

BlackHoles@Home

GWAC member and WVU researcher, Dr. Zachariah Etienne, is leading a global volunteer effort titled BlackHoles@Home. Utilizing their own home computers, citizen scientists can assist the scientific community in unlocking the secrets contained in gravitational waves observed when black holes collide into one another. The data collected from the collision of binary black holes will help researchers better interpret the data.

The project recruits volunteers to help advance the understanding of black holes by running collision simulations from their own home computers.

People enjoying a show at the WVU planetarium

WVU Planetarium and Observatory

For more than 30 years, the planetarium at West Virginia University has given Morgantown and the surrounding communities a glimpse into worlds beyond our own. Sitting atop White Hall, the planetarium has served thousands of people each year, including hundreds of WVU students.

All shows are now virtual and open to the public. For a current listing of shows and showtimes, visit the Planetarium's website.

little green men

little green men is a documentary about high school students searching for pulsars (a certain type of collapsed star) using radio astronomy data from West Virginia's Green Bank Telescope through the Pulsar Science Collaboratory (PSC).

You can watch the documentary and learn more about how high school students are discovering pulsars and how to support their continued research.

Mapping the Milky Way

Under the guidance of Dr. Loren Anderson, high school students participating in the Mapping the Milky Way project can help map the Milky Way. Nearly 2000 HII regions in the Galaxy that we could look at, but not all of these can be detected by the GBT. The job of the students is to decide which of these 2000 regions they should observe. Next, they are observed using the GBT to map out the structure of the Milky Way, and to better understand how massive stars are born.

Astrobites

Astrobites is a daily astrophysical literature journal written by graduate students in astronomy. Students in The Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology have been chosen and served as authors of Astrobites over the years, including Haley Wahl, Evan Lewis, Brent Shapiro-Albert and Graham Doskoch. Learn more about Astrobites.

Astrophysics REU

May 23 - July 30, 2023

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) is a 10-week summer program for undergraduate student research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). West Virginia University is proud to host a REU site focused on astrophysical research.

Each student will be associated with a specific research project, where he/she will work closely with their faculty research mentor and other researchers. Students receive a $5,000 stipend, $300 in travel expenses, meals, and lodging.