Astronomy research is centered in observational stellar astronomy with applications in binary stars with accretion disks and in galactic structure and kinematics (primarily red dwarf stars). Dr. Thom Robertson and Dr. Tom Jordan are working on the detection of low mass stars using spectroscopic and photometric techniques. Spectroscopic observations have been obtained at the National Observatories at Kitt Peak in Arizona and at Cerro Tololo in Chile. Photometric observations are made at the National Undergraduate Research Observatory (NURO) in Flagstaff, Arizona using the 0.8 m telescope of the Lowell Observatory and in the Ball State University Observatory  in Muncie, IN. These photometric observations are made using sophisticated Charge Coupled Device (CCD) cameras coupled to broad- and intermediate-band filters. Such observations are used to identify and determine temperatures, luminosity classes and distances for red dwarf stars using photometric parallaxes.

Dr. Ron Kaitchuck is an expert in the study of accretion disks around cataclysmic variable (CV) stars. In his research, he uses photometric and spectroscopic data  from NURO, Ball State, the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite and a variety of other sources. The results of Dr. Kaitchuck's research help to describe the structure and evolution of accretion disks in these close binary systems. All of the above projects have involved both undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of research activities which include formal research projects at the undergraduate level and thesis programs for graduate students majoring in physics.