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Independent study and honors work are encouraged for all majors. Opportunities for theoretical and observational work are available in cosmology, radio astronomy, planetary science, computational astrophysics, astronomical instrumentation, stellar astrophysics, and extra-galactic astronomy. Local facilities available to qualified students include several optical and infrared telescopes of sizes 16, 18, and 24 inches, equipped with CCD cameras and spectrographs.

Astronomy also operates several high-performance parallel Beowulf-type computers for computational studies. These computer clusters are currently used to simulate the growth of structure in a cold dark matter-dominated universe and to study galaxy dynamics and interactions.

The university is the U.S. partner in an international project with Mexico to build a 50-m diameter telescope that will operate at millimeter wavelengths. The Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) is in its final stages of construction. Its enormous collecting area and high angular resolution will enable cosmological studies of forming galaxies in the early universe, as well as detailed mapping of galaxies in the local universe with unprecedented sensitivity. Undergraduates are involved in some of the work to build new instruments for this facility.

Opportunities for summer research internships are also available. Original publications have resulted from undergraduate research.