We’re in a golden age for Astronomy thanks to professionals like Lundgren, who, along with many other kids in the 1980s, were inspired by the U.S. space program and shows like Star Trek to look toward the heavens with fascination. Growing up, Lundgren wanted to be an astronaut, but after reading Stephen Hawking’s "A Brief History of Time," she turned her focus toward astronomy.
Her generation of astronomers, along with advancements in telescopes, computers, and other technologies, ensured the U.S. maintained the lead in astronomical sciences. Today, students remain fascinated in the field. “Astronomy programs in the U.S. have tripled in enrollment in the past 25 years,” she says. “And there are no signs of a slowdown.”
UNC Asheville's new major will enable students to laser-focus on their interests before graduate school and participate in cutting-edge research. Typically, astrophysicists and astronomers major in Physics and focus on Astrophysics for their graduate studies. Lundgren majored in Physics and secured a Ph.D. in Astronomy before becoming an Observational Astronomer.
Courses in the new Astronomy major are designed to teach a range of transferable skills, including coding, practical instrumentation, engineering, and analysis of big data sets. “All of those are really lucrative skills that make the unemployment rate for trained astronomers essentially zero,” she says. Cultural Astronomy courses like “Indigenous Perspectives on the Sky” also emphasize reading and writing.
“All of those are really lucrative skills that make the unemployment rate for trained astronomers essentially zero.” -- Professor Lundgren
With an Astronomy degree, students can pursue a career as a data scientist, planetary physicist, educator, software engineer, in science communications, science policy, at a planetarium, and in many other areas.
The Astronomy program not only allows for interdisciplinary studies but also boasts accomplished professors with many strengths in the field. Lundgren is wrapping up her term as Chair of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC), a federal advisory committee that provides recommendations to the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and the Department of Energy (DOE) on matters of mutual interest in astronomy and astrophysics. It was established at the recommendation of the Presidential Committee on the Organization and Management of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (COMRAA).
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