Telescope Donation Reveals New Opportunities for Discovery for Geometry of Space Stream

The Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) Program would like to thank Jeff Kodosky, Cofounder and Business and Technology Fellow, National Instruments (and former Chair of the Advisory Council for the College of Natural Sciences) for the generous donation of a Takahashi FSQ106N telescope to the Geometry of Space stream.   

Student researchers in this stream venture to better understand the vastness of the universe, using algorithms and data analytics. Armed with the tools of computational geometry, they aim to unravel structure of galaxies and clusters, uncovering intricate details like sizes, centers, and member galaxies with precision.

Dr. Shyamal Mitra, Associate Professor of Practice & Research Educator, expressed the significance of this generous donation, stating, " [the] telescope will teach our students' eyes to see." With this innovative equipment in their hands, these budding scientists are poised to broaden their understanding and embark on a journey to new cosmic discoveries. Mitra also added, "We are grateful for the donation and excited by all the observing projects that we could do with it!"