Speaker
Description
Since the beginning of the NOT operations in 1990 we have had students working as an integral part of the operational staff at the telescope. When Johannes Andersen was the NOT director he expanded the size of the NOT student program to the present size with 5-6 students at any given time. Studentships at NOT are typically one year in length. In the era of large telescopes, it makes good sense to use part of the observing time at NOT as a tool to attract and train the next generation of observational astronomers. We offer several educational activities at NOT and the Johannes Andersen Student Program is together with the observing schools a very successful activity at the NOT. The students are fully integrated in the NOT team and the students divide their time between their individual thesis projects and practical work at the telescope, such as further development of the telescope services and support of visiting astronomers. The hands-on experience with advanced state-of-the-art instrumentation and the experiences gained by the students working in an international setting have proven to be an important asset in the future careers, not only in astrophysics, but also outside astronomy. In this presentation, I will discuss the status and the future of the student program.
