Charles A. Barth Scholarship for undergraduate space research
Dr. Charles A. Barth received his Ph.D. from UCLA, and was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Bonn from 1958-59. Before coming to LASP, he worked as a Research Physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1959 to 1965. Dr. Barth was the Director of LASP from 1965 to 1992. He was an Associate Professor from 1965 to 1967 and a Professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences from 1967 to 2002. Dr. Barth was a Professor Emeritus at LASP and in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at CU Boulder from 2002 through 2014.
Between 1962 and 2002, Dr. Barth served as Principal Investigator for eleven missions and experiments. Among these were Mariner 5, Mariner 6 and 7, Mariner 9, OGO-2, 4, 5, and 6, Atmosphere Explorer-C and D, the Solar Mesosphere Explorer, and the Student Nitric Oxide Experiment. Under his guidance, LASP science instruments journeyed to every planet in the solar system.
In addition to his long and productive career, Dr. Barth left a lasting legacy through his teaching and mentoring. He generously shared his knowledge and passion with students and was committed to hands-on education and training. He inspired countless undergraduates studying science and engineering. Dr. Barth prioritized involving as many students as possible in his space research and NASA missions. LASP continues to honor Dr. Barth’s legacy by continuing to prioritize student involvement.
In 2013, CU Boulder established the Charles A Barth Scholarship in Space Research to honor his legacy. This scholarship fund continues to support undergraduate students; you can make a donation using the link below.
Dr. Barth passed away on October 14, 2014, at the age of 84.
How to Apply
The Charles A. Barth Scholarship in Space Research will contribute to tuition costs for several LASP undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder with focused studies related to space research. Awards are typically on the order of ~$1300 per student.
To apply: Applicants should submit a 300-word statement of their proposed research project, an up-to-date academic transcript, and a one-page CV that includes any previous research experience and lists the LASP researcher who would supervise the applicant’s work, plus an additional potential reference. The application deadline is in May.
Please send a single .pdf file to BarthScholarship@lasp.colorado.edu.
2024 Award Recipients
Thomas Flint, Class of 2026, major in astrophysical and planetary sciences with a minor in applied math, is working with LASP research associate Mike Chaffin. They are investigating the formation of patchy proton aurora on Mars by comparing particle precipitation simulations with data from NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) and Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) spacecraft.
Grace Shore, Class of 2025, major in astrophysics with a minor in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, is working with LASP research associate Margaret Landis. They are investigating the composition changes in the ice sheet at the north pole of Mars using data from the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which was developed by the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory for NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and is the highest-resolution orbital camera at Mars.
Gwyneth Lowry, Class of 2025, major in aerospace engineering sciences with a minor in computer science, is working with LASP research associate and CU Physics associate professor Sascha Kempf on understanding the quantitative capabilities of spacecraft impact ionization mass spectrometers such as LASP’s SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA), which will be onboard NASA’s Europa Clipper mission.
Delaney Lee-Bellows, Class of 2025, double major in astrophysics and mathematics, is working with LASP research associate David Malaspina, who is also an assistant professor in CU’s Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences (APS) Department. They are using data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission to investigate the spacecraft surface potential and its possible effects on instrument measurements.
Sydney Ciechanowicz, Class of 2025, triple major in astrophysics, geology, and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, with minors in biochemistry and chemistry, is working with LASP research associate and CU Boulder Geology Professor Brian Hynek. They are studying the effects of temperature and pH in a Martian analog hydrothermal system in Costa Rica to better understand the astrobiological potential in these extreme conditions.
Shelby Opp, Class of 2025, double major in astrophysics and geophysics, is working with LASP research associate and APS Professor David Brain. They are searching for magnetized craters on Mars surface using data from NASA’s MAVEN mission to characterize the relationship between magnetic crustal field strength and Mars topography.
2023 Award Recipients
Lauren Christenson, Class of 2025, major in aerospace engineering sciences with a minor in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, is working with LASP researcher Naomi Maruyama on investigating space weather impacts on the Earth’s upper atmosphere caused by solar storms through simulation data of plasma and neutral atoms.
Thomas Corbett, Class of 2025, major in physics, is working with LASP professional research associate John Fontanese and LASP research associate and CU Boulder professor Mihaly Horanyi. They are working in the Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) laboratory, testing and calibrating spaceflight instruments such as the Europa SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and the Interstellar Dust Experiment aboard (IDEX) NASA’s IMAP mission.
Troy Hesse, Class of 2024, double major in physics and astrophysics, is working with LASP research associate Laila Andersson. They are using data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission to study the possible drivers of composition change in the upper most atmosphere of the red planet.
Caroline Emery, Class of 2024, major in physics, is working with LASP research associate Michael Chaffin on Mars atmosphere escape processes including water loss by investigating the emission characteristics of the Lyman alpha hydrogen line.
Samantha Honan, Class of 2024, double major in aerospace engineering and astrophysics, is working with LASP research associate and CU Boulder professor Mark Rast. They are exploring the origin of sound waves that are typically used to study the interior structure and dynamics of the Sun.
2022 Award Recipients
Jay Cessna works with Dave Brain studying habitable words including investigating atmospheric escape of weakly magnetized planets.
Shivank Chadda works with David Malaspina studying interstellar dust properties from the WAVES electric field instrument on NASA’s Wind spacecraft.
Samuel Aberbook works with Paul Hayne studying Jupiter’s moon Europa to make model predictions of its surface and subsurface temperatures.
2021 Award Recipients
Josephine Johnson works with Dave Brain and Robin Ramstad to study the magnetospheres of Mars and Venus.
Adrienne Pickerill works with Nick Schneider to study and identify different types of aurora in Mars atmosphere.
Patrick McCreery works with Mark Rast to study and identify solar acoustic modes using machine learning techniques.
2020 Award Recipients
Ethan Ayari works with Mihaly Horanyi on visualizing ring currents around planetary magnetospheres
Ace Stratton works with Bruce Jakosky on the role of dust storms in the loss of water from Mars
Ben Johnston works with Nick Schneider to study solar energetic particle events triggered in the MAVEN-IUVS instrument in orbit around Mars
2019 Award Recipients
Tara Tomlinson with advisor Paul Hayne
2018 Award Recipients
Rachel Zac Milby with advisor Nick Schneider
Carlos Eytan Gary Bicas with advisor Paul Hayne
2017 Award Recipients
Parker Hinton with advisor Fran Bagenal
Rachel Lee McClure with advisor Mark Rast
2016 Award Recipient
Skylar Shaver with advisor Laila Andersson
2015 Award Recipient
Willow Reed (Advisor Marty Snow)
2014 Award Recipient
