“It’s cool to be working with scientists from so many places. People are pretty serious about astronomy here. It’s interesting to see the kind of international expertise it takes to run the telescope and how it all comes together. Working in my field of study is invaluable. I’ve learned much that will be relevant to future jobs.”  - Co-op student Dustin Fennell

For one computer science major, doing a good job has resulted in an exceptional opportunity. Impressed by his work during his first co-op work term last fall at the Gemini Observatory in Chile, Dustin Fennell’s supervisors invited him to stay for a second.

Built and operated by a partnership of seven countries—the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Australia, Brazil and Argentina—the Gemini Observatory consists of twin eight-meter optical/infrared telescopes located on two of the best celestial observing sites on the planet. From mountaintops in Hawaii and Chile, the observatory’s telescopes can collectively access the entire sky.

Fennell has worked on the conversion of the Gemini web pages to a new web-management system, as well as created content. He’s also written applications astronomers use on the mountain such as rebuilding a software tool used to look at images taken by the telescope. As part of the Science Operations team, he’s had the opportunity to participate in daily operations and experience nighttime observations.