The physics and astronomy department's proposed foreign study program to South Africa is in the final stages before approval by the committee of chairs of the arts and sciences faculty. If approved, students will research at the South African Astronomical Observatory based in Cape Town, South Africa beginning in winter 2015.
Since physics and astronomy professor Brian Chaboyer started planning the program three years ago, the proposal has undergone an extensive approval process through the department, the divisional council of the sciences, the committee on off-campus activities and the committee on organization and policy.
Associate dean of the faculty for international and interdisciplinary studies Lynn Higgins, who receives all off-campus programs proposals from the various departments, said the committee of chairs will consider input from the previous committees before making its decision.
"It's a very useful process for the department that proposes the program because it gives them a chance to have feedback and make changes, to ask questions that they might not have thought of otherwise," Higgins said.
If the committee of chairs approves the program, Dean of the Faculty Michael Mastanduno will examine the availability of funding for the program. Although Chaboyer does not expect any complications getting the proposal through the committee of chairs, he said he remains cautious about receiving funds.
"There's no guarantee for funding from the Dean's Office until after the program's been approved," Chaboyer said. "I'm certainly hopeful that this is going to be a reality, but I can't make any guarantees."
Participants will observe night skies from Cape Town and Sutherland, South Africa while earning credit for three classes: Stars and the Milky Way, Observational Techniques in Astronomy and an independent project. Students would spend five weeks in Cape Town, a week in Sutherland and then return to Cape Town for the remainder of the program.
Students would also have various opportunities to collect data and tour the Southern African Large Telescope, of which Dartmouth owns an 11 percent share, as well as interact with other programs hosted by the South African astronomical observatory.
Higgins and Chaboyer both said the FSP's focus in the physical sciences improves its chances for approval.
"I think we're very hopeful because the College doesn't have that many science FSPs, and it doesn't have that many based in Africa and the continent as a whole," Chaboyer said. "We're serving a very unique niche."
Chaboyer, who hopes to finalize the approval by the end of the fall term, said South Africa offers students cultural learning and a completely different view of the night skies than in Hanover.
"I guess most people, the vast majority of people, live these days in cities and they never see really a dark sky, and so I'm hoping that by seeing the Southern hemisphere sky, they'll be really impressed by what the night astronomy has to offer," Chaboyer said.
Physics and astronomy department chair James LaBelle said that the entire department is "enthusiastically behind" the planned FSP, which he said will be a stimulating experience.
The department previously hosted an off-campus program that partnered with the University of Arizona in Tucson in the 1980s, but the program was discontinued after a short run. The physics and astronomy major has since not had any off-campus programs, though former department chair and physics and astronomy professor Miles Blencowe said the department attempted to set up a program in England ten years ago.
"We got turned down, and the reason: why go to a place where you could take what you could take here?" Blencowe said. "By contrast, this FSP in South Africa really addresses that criticism in many ways."
Although Chaboyer said student application details are not finalized, he predicts 12 students will participate in the program's pilot run. The program will be open to all students, not only physics and astronomy majors.
Dean of Faculty Michael Mastanduno was unavailable to comment by press time.
