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Paul Graf

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Graf.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2009

Training of Instrumentalists and Development of New Technologies on SOFIA

This white paper is submitted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Decadal Survey (Astro2010)1 Committee on the State of the Profession to emphasize the potential of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to contribute to the training of instrumentalists and observers, and to related technology developments. This potential goes beyond the primary mission of SOFIA, which is to carry out unique, high priority astronomical research. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 2.5 meter telescope. It will enable astronomical observations anywhere, any time, and at most wavelengths between 0.3 microns and 1.6 mm not accessible from ground-based observatories. These attributes, accruing from the mobility and flight altitude of SOFIA, guarantee a wealth of scientific return. Its instrument teams (nine in the first generation) and guest investigators will do suborbital astronomy in a shirt-sleeve environment. The project will invest $10M per year in science instrument development over a lifetime of 20 years. This, frequent flight opportunities, and operation that enables rapid changes of science instruments and hands-on in-flight access to the instruments, assure a unique and extensive potential - both for training young instrumentalists and for encouraging and deploying nascent technologies. Novel instruments covering optical, infrared, and submillimeter bands can be developed for and tested on SOFIA by their developers (including apprentices) for their own observations and for those of guest observers, to validate technologies and maximize observational effectiveness.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2009

Educating the Next Generation of Leading Scientists: Turning Ideas into Action

The core of scientific research is turning new ideas into reality. From the school science fair to the search for the secrets of dark energy, high-quality research consists of scientific investigation constrained within the scope of a well-defined project. Large or small, generously funded or just scraping by,scientific projects use time, money, and information to turn ideas into plans, plans into action, and action into results. While we, as a community, do much to educate students in the techniques of research, we do not systematically train students in the nature and organization of scientific projects or in the techniques of project management. We propose a two-pronged attack to address this issue in the next decade. First, to generate a broad base of future scientists who have a basic familiarity with the ideas of projects, we propose that the community develop standards for the content of a project design and management course in astronomy and astrophysics. Second, to train future scientists to assume leadership roles in new investigations in astronomy and astrophysics, we propose that the community develop standards for graduate programs in the area of research project leadership.

astro-ph.IM↗