Dear Alumni, Families, and Friends of UChicago Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Gifts to our department directly benefit the exciting research, training, and education experiences in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and gifts of any amount are welcome and much appreciated. The department’s current fundraising priorities are to fully fund the E. Margaret Burbidge Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship in Astrophysics and to provide graduate student fellowships.
The Margaret Burbidge Fellowship brings outstanding postdoctoral scholars to the department to carry out independent research, mentored by one or more of the department faculty. It honors E. Margaret Burbidge, who conducted ground-breaking research at the University of Chicago’s Yerkes Observatory in the 1950s and was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1985. Additional funding would enable us to hire a new Burbidge Fellow each year.
The department also seeks to expand its program of fellowships for first-year graduate students, which would enable students to dive more fully into astronomy and astrophysics research earlier in their PhD careers. Support for graduate student fellowships can be routed through a general gift to the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics or by donating to one of the existing funds for graduate student fellowships listed below.
A major, long-term priority of the department is to capitalize on the University’s $100M investment in the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), a 30-meter class optical telescope being built in Chile that will be the most powerful ground-based facility of its kind.
Donations can be made online, through the mail, or over the phone (see links below). Please contact me or our Gifts team to discuss these opportunities and explore further possibilities.
Josh Frieman
Professor and Chair, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
jfrieman@uchicago.edu
To Make a Gift Online
Please follow this link to give to the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
- Gift Type: Choose one-time or monthly recurring
- Area of Support: Select Physical Sciences Division from the drop down menu
- Specific Fund: Select Astronomy & Astrophysics from the drop down menu
In Additional Comments at the bottom of the webpage, you can specify that your gift be directed to one of the funds listed below.
- E. Margaret Burbidge Postdoctoral Prize Fellowship in Astrophysics Fund
- James Cronin Graduate Student Fellowship Fund
- Eugene and Niesje Parker Fellowship Fund
- David Schramm Memorial Fund
Gifts to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Department can also be made through the Physical Sciences Division here.
