{"685221":{"#nid":"685221","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Astrophysics Major and Minor Launched at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOne of Georgia Tech\u2019s newest undergraduate degree offerings \u2014 a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/undergraduate-studies-astrophysics\u0022\u003EB.S. in Astrophysics\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 welcomed its first students in August.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe astrophysics program, which includes both a major and a minor, introduces students to the fundamental physical processes and laws that govern the cosmos. This foundational curriculum is complemented by training in computational and data analysis techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOur new undergraduate program is forward-facing, focusing on the future of astronomy and astrophysics as well as how big data and computing are driving innovation and discovery,\u201d says Program Director\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/david-ballantyne\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDavid Ballantyne\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, associate chair for Academic Programs and professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EDesigned for students interested in research or non-research career paths, the B.S. in Astrophysics was created in response to growing student demand for courses and research opportunities in the field.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAstrophysics is a great major at Georgia Tech because it teaches the critical thinking and technical skills students need not just for astrophysics but also for a wide variety of STEM-related careers,\u201d adds\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/paul-sell\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPaul Sell\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, program advisor, senior academic professional in the School of Physics, and director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astronomy.gatech.edu\/Observatory.php\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Observatory\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EMore than two dozen students have already declared the astrophysics major or minor; these numbers are expected to grow as more students learn about the program.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThird-year student\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EIshita Chintala\u003C\/strong\u003E switched her major from general physics to astrophysics in order to move closer to her childhood dream of working in the space industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAstrophysics brings a certain kind of magic into my life; a kind of magic that helps me not only understand the world around me, but also helps me understand my place in the universe,\u201d she explains.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStudents enrolled in the program will have the opportunity to engage directly with the work taking place at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cra.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Relativistic Astrophysics\u003C\/a\u003E (CRA). Established in 2008, the CRA\u0026nbsp;includes more than a dozen faculty and research scientists with expertise spanning high-energy astrophysics, extrasolar planets, gravitational-wave astronomy, and astroparticle physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAccess to undergraduate research opportunities, including those offered by CRA faculty, is one reason for\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EMarshall Honaker\u003C\/strong\u003E\u2019s enthusiasm about the major.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019m most excited about getting hands-on research experience and taking advanced astrophysics classes that dive deeper into topics like cosmology and stellar evolution, especially at Georgia Tech,\u201d says Honaker, a first-year student from Warner Robins, Georgia. He aims to pursue a research career to increase our understanding of the universe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAndrew Heller\u003C\/strong\u003E, a first-year student from Tucker, Georgia, chose the astrophysics major because of his curiosity about and desire to advance our knowledge of everything beyond Planet Earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAs an astrophysics major, I\u0027m very interested in participating in multi-messenger astronomy,\u201d says Heller, referring to a key research focus of the CRA. \u201cThe ability to discover different things about an event or object by studying it with different wavelengths or particles is super exciting!\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EUndergraduate students interested in declaring the astrophysics major or minor should follow the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/registrar.gatech.edu\/info\/change-major-form-undergraduate-students\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Estandard major change\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E or the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/registrar.gatech.edu\/info\/changeaddition-undergraduate-minors\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eminor addition\/change\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E process.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe undergraduate astrophysics program introduces students to the fundamental physical processes and laws that govern the cosmos. This foundational curriculum is complemented by training in computational and data analysis techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The undergraduate astrophysics program introduces students to the fundamental physical processes and laws that govern the cosmos. This foundational curriculum is complemented by training in computational and data analysis techniques."}],"uid":"36583","created_gmt":"2025-09-24 15:24:02","changed_gmt":"2025-10-13 02:58:53","author":"lvidal7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678132":{"id":"678132","type":"image","title":"School of Physics Professor Sven Simon greeted some of the new astrophysics majors. ","body":null,"created":"1758739260","gmt_created":"2025-09-24 18:41:00","changed":"1758739260","gmt_changed":"2025-09-24 18:41:00","alt":"School of Physics Professor Sven Simon greeted some of the new astrophysics majors. ","file":{"fid":"262118","name":"IMG_2100.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/IMG_2100.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/IMG_2100.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2405924,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/24\/IMG_2100.jpeg?itok=AqkxsqrU"}},"678135":{"id":"678135","type":"image","title":"School of Physics Professor David Ballantyne provided an overview of the major during the September 5, 2025 launch event. ","body":null,"created":"1758739327","gmt_created":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","changed":"1758739327","gmt_changed":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","alt":"School of Physics Professor David Ballantyne provided an overview of the major during the September 5, 2025 launch event. ","file":{"fid":"262121","name":"IMG_2091---square.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/IMG_2091---square.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/IMG_2091---square.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5146394,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/24\/IMG_2091---square.jpg?itok=WSaXiAbU"}},"678134":{"id":"678134","type":"image","title":"Ishita Chintala, third-year astrophysics major","body":null,"created":"1758739327","gmt_created":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","changed":"1758739327","gmt_changed":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","alt":"Ishita Chintala, third-year astrophysics major","file":{"fid":"262120","name":"Ishita-Chintala---square.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/Ishita-Chintala---square.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/Ishita-Chintala---square.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1047167,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/24\/Ishita-Chintala---square.jpg?itok=XmDLbPYb"}},"678133":{"id":"678133","type":"image","title":"Andrew Heller, first-year astrophysics major","body":null,"created":"1758739327","gmt_created":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","changed":"1758739327","gmt_changed":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","alt":"Andrew Heller, first-year astrophysics major","file":{"fid":"262119","name":"Andrew-heller-square.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/Andrew-heller-square.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/Andrew-heller-square.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6339843,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/24\/Andrew-heller-square.jpg?itok=w31wTFxi"}},"678136":{"id":"678136","type":"image","title":"Marshall Honaker, first-year astrophysics major","body":null,"created":"1758739327","gmt_created":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","changed":"1758739327","gmt_changed":"2025-09-24 18:42:07","alt":"Marshall Honaker, first-year astrophysics major","file":{"fid":"262122","name":"MarshallHeadshot.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/MarshallHeadshot.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/24\/MarshallHeadshot.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1278228,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/24\/MarshallHeadshot.png?itok=cxdjcCFq"}}},"media_ids":["678132","678135","678134","678133","678136"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/undergraduate-studies-astrophysics","title":"B.S. in Astrophysics program"},{"url":"https:\/\/cra.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Relativistic Astrophysics"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/college-sciences-welcomes-new-astrophysics-major-minor","title":"College of Sciences Welcomes New Astrophysics Major, Minor"}],"groups":[{"id":"660370","name":"Space"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"4079","name":"astrophysics"},{"id":"148881","name":"Undergraduate Programs"},{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Lindsay C. Vidal\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lvidal7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}