Observational Astronomy with Professor Aaron Evans "My current research primarily deals with observations of colliding galaxies and their associated phenomena (starbursts and accreting black holes). These objects have been a challenge to understand primarily because the nuclear power sources, which generate ~ 90% of the total emission of the colliding systems, are shrouded in dust generated by star formation. Given this, they have been the primary targets of instruments designed to detected wavelengths of radiation that are less affected by dust than optical radiation (e.g., infrared, X-ray, radio, and millimeter radiation)." Undergraduate projects I have available for students are: 1.  Processing and analysis of optical and near-infrared imaging data of these galaxies. The ultimate goal of this analysis is to age-date their stage of interaction. This requires learning about linux computers and learning the data reduction package IRAF. 2. Retrieval and analysis of Hubble Space Telescope data. This requires learning about linux, learning data retrieval software designed by the Space Telescope Science Institute, and learning to use the data reduction package IRAF. 3.  Directed reading Directed reading projects would expose students to the importance of colliding galaxies on both a local and a cosmological scale. Emphasis would be placed on the kind of observations that have been done, or will be done in the next 10 years, to help us understand how the enshrouded energy sources evolve as the merging galaxy systems evolve. November 2003