Astronomy & Astrophysics

Matt Troutman, a second-year doctoral student in Clemson University's Physics & Astronomy department, has been awarded the Michelson Graduate Fellowship. The three-year award, which begins in September 2007, includes a $30,000 stipend as well as $18,000 for research and tuition. Typically, only two to four Michelson Graduate Fellowships are awarded each year. In the past, these fellowships have been granted to students from Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, Cal Tech, Arizona, Texas and Florida. More>>

Troutman's research measures the distribution of gas in planet-forming disks around young stars and uses this information to determine whether there is an embedded gas giant planet in the young disk. Matt's project takes advantage of Clemson University's new 10% partnership in the Mayall 4-m telescope at Kitt Peak operated by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (see related News).