Each summer, the SORCE mission funds student research projects as part of the University of Colorado’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. For ten weeks, the students come to Boulder, Colorado to work with SORCE scientists on a research project involving measurements from SORCE. They begin their time at LASP with a one-week lecture series on Solar and Space Physics from experts in the field, and end with a student symposium where the REU students present their research findings.

During the summer of 2016, two students worked on projects using SORCE data. One student analyzed the SOLSTICE Lyman alpha data to create a model of the exosphere. Hydrogen in the exosphere scatters Lyman alpha photons, and using measurements from different view angles throughout the orbit can constrain the exospheric density profile. Another student focused on validating models of solar soft x-ray irradiance by correlating their predictions with photoelectron measurements at Mars. Both of these students will present their results at the 2016 Fall AGU Meeting in San Francisco.

SORCE has supported REU students for many years and their contributions to the science are very valuable. Professional scientists interested in SORCE have been supportive in recommending well qualified students to our program. Details on past and current REU programs are available at http://lasp.colorado.edu/reu. For further information, please contact the REU Program Organizer, Marty Snow (snow@lasp.colorado.edu or 303-885-8689).