Since 2022, DiRAC and the UW Department of Astronomy has supported undergraduate research through awards of the annual Summer Research Prize. I’m so proud that we’ve been able to support 12 upcoming scholars, whose work has been featured in publications, have gone on to graduate studies, and have been recognized with other awards!

This year we’re hoping to have our biggest cohort of Summer Research Prize scholars yet, thanks to a partnership with the LINCC Frameworks team this year! It’s a thrilling time for astronomy at UW. We eagerly await the first data from Rubin Observatory this summer, missions like JWST and TESS continue to drive discoveries, and advances in AI and ML are allowing our students to ask even bolder questions about the Universe.

I am so grateful for the support our community has shown these student scholars. The Summer Research Prize has been enabled through the foundational gifts of David Brooks and Jeff Glickman, the DiRAC Board, Faculty at the UW, and a wide group of supporters in the Pacific Northwest and beyond!

This year I’m asking you once again to join us in empowering our students to pursue their research. Your donations of support can be the catalyst that launches a career, often making the difference for a student to stay in Seattle and work alongside faculty and graduate students, which pushes their research towards publication and conference presentations.

Go to our Make a Gift page between March 18 and April 11, 2025 to pledge your support for student astronomy research at the University of Washington, and help the next generation of astronomers discover the universe through data-intensive discovery!