As a major part of the undergraduate experience within the UF Astronomy Department is research, we highly encourage all students to write up their results in a senior thesis. This thesis may enable students to earn high or highest honors within the College for graduation.
Honors Requirements:
There are three honors designations:
Honors: graduating with a 3.5 upper division GPA
High Honors: graduating with a 3.5 upper division GPA and submitting a thesis
Highest Honors: graduating with a 3.5 upper division GPA, and having a thesis marked for highest honors by a committee composed of Astronomy Faculty.
Departmental Star: Regardless of a students GPA and College honors eligibility, all students are eligible to compete for a departmental star designation given for exemplary theses.
Senior Thesis for B.S. Majors
The undergraduate thesis for B.S. students should focus on a research project that was carried out in the department over at least two semesters. Students may carry out this research as part of AST 4911 or separately. With Departmental approval, a student’s thesis may include research work that was started as part of a REU or summer internship and then continued at UF (see guidelines at the end of this document). The thesis should reflect a high caliber of research, analysis and thought. The research may be part of a larger collaborative program but the written report must reflect the student’s own work and clearly distinguish between the student’s contribution and that of other team members. Reports should be written in the style of a journal article (i.e. Astrophysical Journal) and include the following:
- Abstract (100-200 words)
- Introduction – background and discussion of the problem investigated and its significance
- Research methods and design – description of the work done, data Acquisition/Observations, Computational Method, etc.
- Results and major findings – description of results including plots and figure Analysis and interpretation of Results
- Discussion and significance
- Conclusions
Senior Thesis for B.A. Majors
B.A. majors may complete a two-semester research project and thesis similar to that described above for B.S. majors. Alternatively, B.A. majors may also complete a 1-semester project with a written thesis. There is more variety in the choice of a thesis topic for the B.A. degree. Students should discuss topics with the UGC and potential thesis advisor. Possibilities for theses include but are not limited to:
- A research paper discussing a current research problem in astronomy and demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the state of the art knowledge of and scientific issues surrounding the problem.
- An observing project carried out with the student observatory or RHO. This project may or may not lead to new scientific finding but should demonstrate mastery of observation and analysis techniques.
- A project for use in teaching or public outreach
- A History or public policy project on an Astronomy topic
Authorship Guidelines:
We actively encourage undergraduates to develop their theses into papers for submission into peer-reviewed journals. As is common for such papers, co-authors may often directly write parts of the paper. In the case of senior theses, however, we ask students to turn in work that is primarily their writing, rather than work that has been heavily directly contributed to by a co-author.
Other Guidelines:
Students should consult with their thesis advisors about the format and content of their thesis. Advisors should review the thesis before it is submitted to the department for review. Students should make sure that they give their advisors a draft copy early enough so that they can get feedback and have time to make corrections. A faculty committee will review the senior theses. All theses should be submitted to the Astronomy Department Undergraduate Coordinator approximately two weeks before classes end in order to allow sufficient time for the committee of professors to read them. Students are expected to present a brief summary of their thesis to the Astronomy.
Including Research from REUs and Internships:
We encourage Astro Majors to participate in external REUs or internships during their undergraduate years. Some students may want to use the work they started as a basis for their senior thesis. This can only be done with approval from the department at least 1 semester in advance of graduation. Students must submit a formal request to the UGC that includes:
- A thesis proposal describing both the work that was carried out as part of the REU/internship and the work on the thesis to be carried out at UF. (i.e. you might collect the data and do the initial analysis externally but do a more in depth analysis while at UF).
- A letter from the external research supervisor outlining the scope of the student’s project, discussing the student’s unique contribution to the project and evaluating the level of the student’s work. The letter also needs to acknowledge that the external advisor approves the use of the work in the student’s senior thesis. This letter should be dated after the REU/internship is completed.
- The name of the UF Astronomy Faculty who will serve as the senior thesis advisor. (Students should discuss their proposal with their UF faculty advisor and get their approval before submitting their request to the UGC)
Deadlines:
The final copy of the thesis must be turned in (via email) in PDF format to the Undergraduate Coordinator no later than 5 pm two weeks before the final day of class. Since the final day of class is typically a Wednesday, the thesis is therefore due two Wednesdays prior at 5 pm.The thesis students will expected to give a 10-12 minute presentation on their thesis during the Undergraduate Study Break at 4 pm on the Friday of reading period.