The ALFALFA Legacy

The Educational Impact of the ALFALFA Survey

From the outset of ALFALFA, the PIs (Riccardo Giovanelli and Martha Haynes at Cornell University) looked to leverage the science of the project into an educational tool to inspire and train the next generation of astronomers (and STEM professionals in general). In conjunction with the ALFALFA Survey, the Undergraduate ALFALFA Team (UAT) was established to facilitate undergraduate student participation. The UAT was conceived in 2004 by a small group of faculty members from several New York and Pennsylvania undergraduate liberal arts institutions, plus the University of Puerto Rico. One-day workshops were hosted at Union College in Schenectady, New York in 2005 and 2006, which introduced attendees to ALFALFA and the possibility of working on related research while maintaining positions at primarily small, somewhat isolated undergraduate institutions. The success of these workshops inspired an NSF proposal to form an expanded UAT program with a workshop at Arecibo. Starting with 14 institutions near the beginning of the ALFALFA survey (AST-0724918/0725267/0725380), the UAT increased in size to 19 members in 2012 under AST-1211005, to 24 members in 2020 under AST-1637339, and, as of 2025, 22 members under AST-2045369. Over seventeen project years of partnering with Arecibo and Green Bank Observatories, the UAT has promoted peer mentoring and training, enhanced faculty and student research in small physics and astronomy programs, encouraged student pathways to STEM careers, and included women and minorities in leadership roles.

The cornerstone of the UAT program is providing students and faculty with observing and research experience, both at their home institution and at national research facilities, including the Arecibo and Green Bank Observatories. More than 500 undergraduates and 36 faculty have participated in and contributed to the scientific output of the collaboration. The UAT emphasizes the direct involvement of undergraduates in research projects. Undergraduates are engaged in all aspects of project planning, observing, and data analysis, interpretation, and presentation. Students collaborate with faculty mentors on their home campus, along with other faculty and peers both remotely and at an annual workshop meeting.

For an overview of the UAT Collaboration and Model, see this recent AAS Blog post by Skidmore College Professor Mary Crone-Odekon. For a more detailed description of the UAT Model and applications to legacy astronomy research projects, see this White Paper from the Astro2020 Decadal Survey by Union College Professor Rebecca Koopmann. For more information regarding the UAT Model, see this Council for Undergraduate Research article by Hartwick College Professor Parker Troischt and this Mercury Magazine article by Skidmore College Professor Mary Crone Odekon.

Note: the UAT has also maintained a google site for team members, that may be cleaned up and made public at a later date. Team members can access the google site here.