<p>Pardon my ignorance, but how is Physics/Astronomy department at Rice compare to that of let's say...Caltech?</p>
<p>I know this question is very general, but I want to pursue an Astrophysics major, so I was wondering, what are some of the research opportunities in this field in Houston?</p>
<p>Thank you very much in advance</p>
<p>Well, a small facility called NASA is just down the road...</p>
<p>Thanks, I was aware of that =)</p>
<p>Any observatories around?</p>
<p>Rice has a small one: <a href="http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Eruco/observatory.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ruco/observatory.html</a>
and it also has a Space Science building (the odd-looking one on campus)
A bigger observatory can be found just south of Houston..perhaps a 30-minute drive?
It's HMNS' George Observatory; i'm not sure about details though...</p>
<p>Im sure there should be plenty of research in Astronomy...NASA gives 3-4 million alone for research...</p>
<p>The musuems help out too....and I believe some ppl from San Antonio</p>
<p>if you have the opportunity to go to caltech, i would certainly go there. there are plenty of research opportunities on campus. i guess just to see what things are like, here's a group for one example <a href="http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/%7Ekillian/index.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~killian/index.shtml</a>. during the school year you would probably want to do stuff on campus rather than in houston off campus. during the summer students do research internships anywhere, find jobs, or if theyre lucky get a grant. oh yeah, you should also check these links out</p>
<p><a href="http://ugresearch.rice.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://ugresearch.rice.edu/</a>
<a href="http://www.vigre.rice.edu/index.cfm%5B/url%5D">http://www.vigre.rice.edu/index.cfm</a></p>
<p>Hriundeli : Caltech is by far the best when it comes to any major relating to Physics (even better than MIT in the physics department). So if you get into Caltech for physics then go for it. But you must know that the Physics major offered by Rice is also very good and well known but not in the league of Caltech's physics program.</p>
<p>Hriundeli : Caltech is by far the best when it comes to any major relating to Physics (even better than MIT in the physics department). So if you get into Caltech for physics then go for it. But you must know that the Physics major offered by Rice is also very good and you will not be disappointed with a Rice degree in Physics</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your responses</p>
<p>Sudu: the thing is, I expect an embarrassing rejection from Caltech EA (b/c of my terrible app)...But from what I've read on Rice's web-site, I really liked it...plus the NASA is nearby.... But we'll see lol</p>
<p>Thanks again</p>
<p>like i was saying earlier, NASA being nearby doesn't really play into things. for example, i know a guy who went to stanford but still worked at NASA in houston for two summers. you can attend other schools and probably work at NASA and i dont know if Rice would have any advantage over other schools of similar caliber. it is highly unlikely that you will work at NASA or a place like that during the school year, therefore people normally go all over during the summer. that has only been my observation, though.</p>
<p>I do not really plan on working with NASA.....well, I have CONSIDERED this option, but my parents were strictly against it... What I DO want is to be able to do research...and/or work with a professor....not just cleaning lab equipment.</p>
<p>dude, everyone expects a rejection from any of the really top universities in the country like MIT, Caltech, Princeton or Harvard.......but people still end up there and these universities are known for their erratic application acceptances, so keep your fingers crossed and hope to get in</p>
<p>Well, Rice is pretty great for getting undergrads involved in research. It's nice because you will be competing against a lot fewer grad students for research positions at Rice than you would be at a place like Caltech. Have you heard about the Century Scholars program (<a href="http://www.ruf.rice.edu/%7Ecentscho)?%5B/url%5D">www.ruf.rice.edu/~centscho)?</a> If you get really lucky, you might get a spot in it, but even if you don't, it's pretty easy to get a research assistantship.</p>