Research Internships for Undergraduate Students
Hello! We're glad you’re interested in learning more about Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO). Based in sunny Santa Barbara, California, LCO builds, deploys and operates the world's largest network of geographically distributed optical telescopes for general scientific and educational use. We’re motivated by the desire to expand human knowledge, and to instill a passion for science in young people. We are a small and dedicated team, passionate about what we do, and our unique mission.
Re-inventing astronomy since 2005!
Our global network of robotic telescopes is enabling astronomers to observe things that go bump in the night 24/7. It’s always dark somewhere. Our revolutionary software stack can avoid bad weather, reroute around problems, and balance real-time requests from astronomers and students. Our scientists use our network to study exoplanets, supernovae, near-earth asteroids and much, much more.
Our summer internship program is designed for local undergraduate students (or students who have recently graduated from college or a software bootcamp.
For Summer 2024, we will offer two internships. Click on the link below for details:
Software
Astronomy
Below you can find resources you might find useful before taking up an internship, as well as information on past intern projects.
Programming Resources
If you would like to improve your programming skills, here are some resources you may want to explore.
- Django Girls Tutorial - Django is a web framework for Python which we use extensively at LCO. This project covers a good mix of frontend and backend web development
- Learn Astropy - Astropy is a Python library for use in astronomy and is used extensively at LCO
- Girls Who Code - Has resources for frontend JavaScript development, Python and Data Science
Software Engineering
Past Intern Projects
Education
Past Intern projects
At LCO our people come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, providing the fuel that powers innovation and the success of our mission. We are actively engaged in developing and improving our policies and practices in order to create an equitable environment where everyone belongs and can do their best work. We strive to build and nurture a culture that is welcoming and inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds with regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability and veteran status.