Not necessarily. The astrophysics research project at YSPA is a means to an end. We want to give students an interesting and challenging project that can still be completed during the four weeks of the on-campus program. By completing this project, students will learn techniques in scientific research, data analysis, programming, scientific modeling, science writing, and other skills that are valuable in a broad range of science and tech disciplines. You don’t have to be a total astronomy nerd to get a lot out of YSPA, and we don’t expect most of our students to become professional astronomers. But since you’ll be working at an observatory on an astrophysics research project, you should at least have a passing interest in astronomy and astrophysics, even if you think your are more interested in studying math, engineering, biology, geology, or chemistry when you go to college.
