A major barrier preventing many aspiring undergraduate students from pursuing a career in science is the lack of confidence to reach out for their first research opportunities. Many worry that they lack the coding skills or prior research experience to succeed. These concerns are especially pronounced among underrepresented minority (URM) students. Quoting an undergraduate student I worked with “I had originally planned on reaching out to professors for internships in April but the pandemic delayed … resulted in me procrastinating …I started doubting myself and had lost all focus on my future in academia.”
To help overcome this barrier, I collaborated with Howard Isaacson to organize an online workshop called Intro2Astro. The program is designed for first- and second-year undergraduates who are enthusiastic about astronomy but lack prior research experience. We guided students through writing their first Unix and Python commands, reading scientific papers, and creating their CVs and personal websites. The workshop is free of charge, and we actively encouraged participation from students with URM backgrounds through outreach on Twitter and WhatsApp. In the summer of 2025, the program drew over 400 students from diverse backgrounds across the U.S., as well as international participants from Bolivia, China, India, Peru, and beyond. It was deeply rewarding to see Intro2Astro propel many of these students closer to careers in science, often by helping them secure their first funded research opportunities.
Quoting one of our workshop participants: “I participated in the Intro2Astro program going into my junior year of college. Before starting the program, I didn't really know what I wanted to get out of my degree...I am an astronomy major but was unsure as to how to get involved in the field or what research was like. Through this program, I was able to really see what astronomy is like outside of the classroom and discover what I truly like about it. I got help and guidance from people who were in similar positions to me in the past and had found their way which was incredibly helpful and eye-opening. Currently, I am participating in an REU program doing more research and plan on applying to grad school to (hopefully!) pursue a career in this field.”
Email me if you want to join our Workshop as a participant or as a mentor. You can check out our course materials on Github: https://github.com/howardisaacson/Intro-to-Astro-2025
