The crew has been selected, and research studies confirmed for the 2017 mission of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS). At approximately 3:30 p.m. on January 19, 2017, six astronaut-like crewmembers will enter a geodesic dome atop Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaiʻi as part of an eight-month research study of human behavior and performance. The NASA-funded project aims to help determine the individual and team requirements for long-duration space exploration missions including travel to Mars. HI-SEAS principal investigator and UH Mānoa Professor Kim Binsted is proud of the project’s contribution to understanding human behavior and performance in space. “Since 2012, HI-SEAS has been contributing to NASA’s plans for long-duration space exploration. We are an international collaboration of crew, researchers and mission support, and I’m proud of the part we play in helping reduce the barriers to a human journey to Mars.” During the eight-month HI-SEAS Mission V the crew will perform exploration tasks such as geological fieldwork and life systems management. The isolated and confined conditions of the mission, including 20-minutes of delayed communication and partial self-sufficiency, have been designed to be similar to those of a planetary surface exploration mission. Daily routines include food preparation from only shelf-stable ingredients, exercise, research and fieldwork aligned with NASA’s planetary exploration expectations. Under the watchful eye of the research team and supported by experienced mission control, the crew will participate in eight primary and three opportunistic research studies. The NASA-funded primary research will be conducted by scientists from across the U.S. and Europe who are at the forefront of their fields. The primary behavioral research includes a shared social behavioral task for team building, continuous monitoring of face-to-face interactions with sociometric badges, a virtual reality team-based collaborative exercise to predict individual and team behavioral health and performance and multiple stress, cognitive countermeasure and monitoring studies. The HI-SEAS Mission V (2017) crew Top row, from left: Ansley Barnard, Samuel Payler and Laura Lark. Bottom row, from left: Joshua Ehrlich, James Bevington and Brian Ramos. Ansley Barnard is an engineer from Reno, Nevada who has worked for NASA and Boeing on advanced composite structures and has designed aerodynamic bodywork for cars racing in the 100th Indy 500. She has a BS in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington. Prior to HI-SEAS, she worked in engineering optimization for Ford Motor Company. Samuel Payler is a doctoral candidate at the UK Centre for Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh. He has been involved with a number of analog programs including NASA’s BASALT program, the MINAR project and BISAL which is the world’s first deep subsurface astrobiology laboratory. He has an MSci from the University of Birmingham and prior to HI-SEAS was researching life in hypersaline deep subsurface environments. Laura Lark is a computer scientist who grew up on a small farm in unincorporated Whatcom County, Washington. She has a BS in computer science from Brown University and, prior to joining the HI-SEAS crew, spent five years as a software engineer at Google working on search serving and indexing infrastructure. Joshua Ehrlich is a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin working on test and verification of the Orion European Service Module. He has a BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida and an MS in mechanical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His previous work experience includes integration and testing on both the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Veggie and Advanced Plant Habitat payloads at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. James Bevington is a freelance researcher with a passion for space. He has a BSC from the University of Tennessee, an MSc from the University of Georgia and an MSc from the International Space University. Prior to HI-SEAS he was a visiting researcher at International Space University and a consultant for Northwestern University. Brian Ramos is a Portuguese-American with dual engineering degrees in biomedical and electrical engineering. He also has a master’s degree in international space studies from the International Space University. Prior to joining HI-SEAS his professional experience included project work at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre and work with Engineering World Health to repair media equipment in Rwanda. HI-SEAS Mission V follows the successful 12-month Mission in the company of a small group of analogs capable of operating very long duration missions in isolated and confined environments similar to Mars500, Concordia and the International Space Station.

Organized by the network will be held from 29 June 2009 until 10 July 2009 in Paris, France. Scientific rationale Our current understanding of accretion onto black holes and neutrons stars has greatly evolved in the past 20 years, thanks in large part to the large amount of scientific data available at all wavelengths. In the high energy range (X- and gamma-ray) these advanced have been made possible by satellites such as XMM-Newton, Chandra, INTEGRAL, RXTE, Swift, and Suzaku, while new missions, like the Fermi Gamma-Ray Observatory, promise new discoveries. The same is true for radio astronomy with many discoveries from the existing world-leading radio-astronomical observatories such the ATCA, the VLA, the VLBA, the EVN, and MERLIN, with a range of major planned upgrades to these facilities, plus additional facilities planned and under construction. Clearly, given these developments, the need for more researchers to exploit the enormous volume of available and upcoming scientific data, both by analyzing these data and interpreting them, is pressing. In this context, we announce an international summer school to provide young researchers the necessary expertise/skill to independently conduct data-analysis relating to high energies and radio astrophysics. The school will focus on X-ray/Gamma-ray and radio data analysis, with one week for each topic. The program will cover a mixture of practical hands-on data analysis sessions (using, for example, AIPS, Miriad, HEADAS, CIAO and XMM-SAS), and will also include some science talks and complementary skills training. Priority will be given to hands-on sessions of data-analysis. Expected lecturers include: K. Blundell (UK), G. Hermann (D), C. Lang (USA), F. Lebrun (F), F. Longo (I), J.C. Lee (USA), C. Motch (F.), M.A. Nowak (USA), Z. Paragi (NL), E. Ros (D/E), A. Siemiginowska (USA), M. van der Klis (NL). The audience targeted by the school is primarily PhD students, and possibly post-docs. We have chosen a 2-week duration to allow a wide coverage of the scientific topics, as well as ample time for discussions and practice. Here is a link to the registration. Committees SOC : T. Belloni (Italy), K. Blundell (UK), A. Celotti (Italy), S. Corbel (Chair, France), E. Kalemci (Turkey), J. Lee (USA), J. McEnery (USA), S. Markoff (Netherlands), J. Rodriguez (France), P. Uttley (UK), J. Wilms (Germany)

I know my way around the British university system best. Other answers cover the options in continental Europe fairly thoroughly so I won't deal with those particularly, though ETH Zurich is widely acknowledged as a particularly high quality institution. As an aside though, you should be careful about international league tables which are principally focused on assessing research. Look at national tables if you want to know about teaching quality. Any serious physics programme will be able to train your brother in those disciplines. The best in the UK (definitely), Europe (almost certainly), and the world (possibly) is Cambridge - although you won't JUST be studying physics for at least the first year or two of the course: it's Natural Sciences which means you have to take a couple of other options (if you do, say, Computer Science and Materials Science alongside physics and maths it'll still be pretty physics-y). By third year you're specialised, e.g. in astrophysics. As for the rest, well, people are sometimes surprised by who's in the top ten. Oxford and Imperial are of course there, and St. Andrews and Durham consistently perform well (Durham's largest department is physics). Edinburgh, Manchester, University College London, and Birmingham are very significant also. Those are all in the top 100 in the international rankings too, incidentally. Some of them however haven't quite built up the sort of international brand recognition that Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial have though.

The two terms are generally linked when naming scientific journals covering the subject and graduate science departments because most professional astronomers have graduate degrees in physics. As a result we include astronomy jobs and astrophysics jobs in one category and have a separate category for space physics jobs. The discovery that the universe is expanding was an astronomical advance, that piqued interest in astronomy and astrophysics careers worldwide. The theoretical equation relating the speed of a star with its redshift is an achievement atributed to career astrophysicists. Likewise, radio astronomy was responsible for the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR), but astrophysics showed the connection between CMBR and the Big Bang. In 1000 BC, using visible light, Chinese astronomers measured the difference between the location of the sun on the shortest day and the longest day to measure the tilt of Earth's rotational axis. So the overlap of careers in astronomy and astrophysics is quite prevalent. In addition to all of the electromagnetic spectrum, career astronomers now use neutrinos from the Sun and supernovae with detectors placed underground. There are also interferometers that respond to gravitational radiation instead of light, with arms that are 4 km long, to detect the gravity waves of general relativity. There are a great many amateur astronomers and societies. A common activity is called star hopping, which involves locating faint stars, galaxies, and other celestial objects with the help of star charts and bright stars. Amateur astronomers often contribute to the lifework of career astronomers by monitoring the changes in brightness of variable stars, tracking asteroids, discovering comets, and observing occultations. Dark matter and dark energy are hypothetical concepts whose existence is indicated by recent discoveries. Matters of current interest to career astrophysicists are the dynamics of stellar evolution, galaxy formation, black holes, and the origin of cosmic rays. Until very recently, the largest structures were thought to be superclusters of galaxies, which are bigger than clusters of galaxies. Now, there are voids, filaments and walls of galaxies, and gaseous structures 400, 000 light years across. With all these new and exciting discoveries, its no wonder we have an abundance of astronomy jobs and astrophysics jobs listed on our boards.

Fully accredited by the Institute of Physics, our courses offer a diverse curriculum, from astronomical phenomena to quantum mechanics If you think that physics can be about much more than the Higgs Boson and the Large Hadron Collider then the University of Dundee is the place for you. Our focus is on the applications of physics in a wide range of cross disciplinary areas. Our staff carry out research in biophysics, in medicine, advanced materials and photonics. They help understand how extra-solar planets form, and help build optical diagnostic devices for CERN. We have a diverse, up-to-date curriculum that offers you all the skills needed to allow you to excel in industry or to progress to postgraduate courses for further study. What is physics? Physics involves the exploration of nature in the broadest possible sense. Physicists discover how the universe behaves and use that knowledge for the benefit of humanity. Dundee physicists have had a tremendous impact on the modern world. The electronic devices driving pixels in virtually all laptop computers were first conceived and made here. Plus ground-breaking work on satellite-borne environmental monitoring began in Dundee. Our staff work in some of the most exciting areas of current physics. Many such areas are also those earmarked by the government as the critical scientific topics for the future: renewable energy and the environment robust sensors physics applied to medicine and biology We use the most powerful microscopes available, each capable of resolving individual atoms, to characterise and develop materials such as the next generation of energy efficient solar cells. We explore the boundaries of biophysics and laser science, especially in medical contexts where the University of Dundee as a whole boasts a world renowned reputation. Biophysics research is undertaken at state-of-the-art facilities in the University's Institute for Medical Science and Technology and also at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. Your final year project could be developing optical techniques to examine cancerous tissue excised from hospital patients - using physics to make a real difference to people's lives. Or you might choose to investigate the behaviour of positrons in solar cell materials with the aim of identifying missing atom defects that degrade performance. You can get directly involved in active research groups in Level 1: a fast-track route to applying the knowledge and skills that we will teach you. The following are the minimum, up-to-date entry requirements. Courses starting 2017 Qualification Level 1 Entry Advanced Entry to Level 2 SQA Higher/Advanced Higher BBBB (minimum) - AABB (typical) at Higher including mathematics and physics or an engineering subject for BSc degrees, or mathematics and physics for MSci degrees AB at Advanced Higher including mathematics and physics, plus AB at Higher in different subjects GCE A-Level BSc: BCC (minimum) - BBB (typical) including A-Level mathematics and physics or an engineering subject MSci: ABB at A-Level including mathematics and physics BBB (minimum) - AAB (typical) including A-Level mathematics and physics Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC) AABB (typical) at Higher including mathematics and physics or an engineering subject for BSc degrees, or mathematics and physics for MSci degrees Level 2 entry is not possible with this qualification International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma BSc: 30 points at Higher Level grades 5, 5, 5 to include mathematics and physics or an engineering subject MSci: 32 points at Higher Level grades 6, 5, 5 to include mathematics and physics. A combination of IB Certificate plus other qualifications, such as A-Levels, Advanced Placement Tests or the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP), will also be considered. 34 points at Higher Level grades 6, 6, 5 to include mathematics and physics Graduate Entry BTEC A relevant BTEC Extended Diploma with DDM A relevant HND with Merits in appropriate Science/Mathematics modules A relevant BTEC Extended Diploma with DDD SQA Higher National (HNC/HND) A relevant HNC with B in the Graded Unit including Mathematics for Engineering 1 A relevant HNC with A in the Graded Unit including Mathematics for Engineering 2 and 120 SCQF points A relevant HND with BB in the Graded Units including Mathematics for Engineering 2 Scottish Baccalaureate BSc - Pass with BC at Advanced Higher in Mathematics and a Science/Engineering subject MSci - Pass with BC at Advanced Higher in Mathematics and Physics BSc - Distinction with AB (MSci) at Advanced Higher in Mathematics and a Science/Engineering subject MSci - Distinction with AB (MSci) at Advanced Higher in Mathematics and Physics SWAP Access Relevant science subjects with ABB grades including Mathematics and Physics Units at SCQF Level 6 Advanced Diploma BSc - Grade B with ASL-A Levels at AB in Mathematics and a Science/Engineering subject MSci - Grade B with ASL-A Levels at AB in Mathematics and Physics BSc - Grade B with ASL-A Level at AA in Mathematics and a Science/Engineering subject MSci - Grade B with ASL-A Level at AA in Mathematics and Physics Welsh Baccalaureate BSc - Pass with A level at AB in Mathematics and a Science/Engineering subject MSci - Pass with A level at AB in Mathematics and Physics BSc - Pass with A level at AA in Mathematics and a Science/Engineering subject

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACTS VALUED AT $7 MILLION AND ABOVE NAVY Gilbane Federal Services, Concord, California (N62473-17-D-0005); CB&I Federal Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (N62473-17-D-0006); AECOM-Energy Solutions JV, San Diego, California (N62473-17-D-0007); Tetra Tech EC Inc., San Diego, California (N62473-17-D-0008); AMEC FW Environmental & Infrastructure Inc., San Diego, California (N62473-17-D-0009); and ECC Insight Philotechnics LLC, Burlingame, California (N62473-17-D-0011), are each being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for remediation services of radiological contaminants at various Navy and Marine Corps installations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest and Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic areas of responsibility. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years for all six contracts combined is $240, 000, 000. Services include, but are not limited to, radiological investigations, surveys, and remediation, along with preparing work documents and reports in support of Navy environmental programs. Such radiological work will generally support environmental investigations with particular focus on possible radioactive contamination; implementing recommendations of historical radiological assessments, remedial actions; removal actions; remedial design; expedited and emergency response actions; pilot and treatability studies; remedial action systems operation and maintenance; and other related activities associated with returning sites to safe and acceptable levels of contamination, to achieve appropriate decontamination and decommissioning requirements. Radiological actions may include, but will not be limited to, preparation of work documents, performance of surveys, investigations, remediation, implementation of radiological controls, storage and handling of waste materials, performance of on-site radiological survey and sampling analysis, and include all associated reporting requirements. Gilbane Federal Services is being awarded task order 0001 at $1, 499, 390 for Parcel C Building 253 and 211 radiological remediation at Hunters Point Shipyard, San Francisco, California. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by March 2019. All work on this contract will be performed in California (80 percent); Arizona (5 percent); Nevada (5 percent); Colorado (4 percent); New Mexico (2 percent); Utah (2 percent); and other locations nationwide as deemed necessary to meet workload requirements (2 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of March 2022. Fiscal 2017 base realignment and closure (BRAC); and fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $1, 524, 390 are obligated on this award, of which $25, 000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance (Navy and Marine Corps); and BRAC. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Moorestown, New Jersey, is being awarded a maximum $68, 017, 264 basic ordering agreement (BOA) with cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only task and delivery orders issued under it for Mk 92 fire control system engineering and logistics support services. This BOA will provide supplies and services to support the Mk 92 fire control system equipment, which includes equipment changes, repairs, and overhauls; engineering and field services in support of in-service engineering requirements; computer programming; documentation development, and engineering services to support the Coast Guard and foreign navies through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases. Support services are required at shore sites, land-based test facilities, shipyards, and aboard ships in ports and at sea for the U.S., allied nations, and FMS customers. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey; and at various locations inside and outside the U.S. Work is expected to be completed by March 2022. No funding is being obligated at time of award. This agreement was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (N63394-17-G-0001).

What the Florida Tech astronomy and astrophysics department is going to do with ARKYD Space Telescope! Blog: Stellar Student When she's not on rollercoasters, she is usually looking through telescopes or in the physics labs as an astronomy & astrophysics major. Brooke is a Utah native that devotes much of her time as an officer of both Society of Physics Students and the Student Astronomical Society. Video: Feels Like Florida Tech If you're interested in going to Florida Tech, you'll want to watch our new video to see just what it "feels like". Space sciences at Florida Tech have set the standard since 1958, successfully preparing students for high-tech careers at top space agencies and research firms. The astronomy and astrophysics degree option, focused on the study of celestial bodies beyond the Earth's solar system, is designed to meet the needs of students intending to pursue graduate education and a career in the astronomical sciences. Whether you want to study the mysteries of black holes, examine the physical behavior of stars or determine the origins of the universe, the astronomy and astrophysics degree from Florida Tech gives you a strong background in physics and hands-on experience with high-tech observational instrumentation. Gain Practical Experience Astronomy and astrophysics at Florida Tech isn't just something you study–it's something you go into the lab or onto the roof (where the telescopes are) and do! Florida Tech students gain scientific skills through hands-on experience in small classes with intensive faculty-student interaction. The Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Group at Florida Tech is concerned primarily with observational and theoretical studies of white dwarf stars, M dwarf stars and cataclysmic variable systems. During your study at Florida Tech you have an opportunity to undertake exciting independent or collaborative (with a peer or professor) research in a topic of your choosing, gaining practical experience for an enhanced job search portfolio and the perfect preparation for graduate and professional school and employment. Build Professional Relationships Beyond the classroom, students working for an astronomy and astrophysics degree build leadership and professional experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Sigma Pi Sigma (national physics honor society), Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, the Student Astronomical Society, student government and over 100 other student organizations. Get Recruited Upon Graduation Employers seek out graduates with an astronomy and astrophysics degree from Florida Tech. Companies that recruit our students for internships and careers include the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Harris Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, DRS Optronics, Kennedy Space Center, NASA and the Space Telescopic Science Institute. Earn An Advanced Degree After receiving their astronomy and astrophysics degree, many of our students go on to master's and doctoral programs at Florida Tech and other prestigious universities, including Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, MIT and Yale.

Quantum technologies harness the unusual features of the quantum world to perform tasks that are hard or impossible with conventional technologies. Our Physics with Quantum Technology programmes cover the full spectrum of this exciting and rapidly developing field – from lasers to quantum information to quantum computers. Programme overview Partnered with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the University is home to superb facilities and internationally-leading research which informs our teaching. On our Physics with Quantum Technologies programmes you will gain a solid understanding of all the core elements of traditional physics – such as particle physics, atoms and molecules, and astrophysics – while also taking specialist modules in quantum technologies topics. You can switch between any of our specialist Physics degrees during your first year. We have excellent links with a range of leading organisations, and many of our students choose to take an integrated Research Year or Professional Training placement year, giving them invaluable work and research experience and a real head start whether they enter the job market or continue to postgraduate studies. Programme structure Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand. Professional Training placement (optional) Many of our students opt to do a Professional Training placement. These normally begin at the end of the second academic year and finish in time for you to begin the third year of study. Professional Training placements offer students the opportunity to gain access to the world of work, including meeting employers, developing job search skills and acquiring the employability skills that employers look for. Find out more about Professional Training placements. Year 3/4 (FHEQ Level 6/7) In the third year there is a common first semester for both BSc and MPhys programmes in which you will begin to specialise in your chosen field of quantum technologies. Our MPhys programmes are four-year courses with an integrated MPhys Research Year that is unique in the UK. MPhys students start their research year halfway through Year 3, after completing the Year 3 taught modules. In Year 4, you will complete your Research Year and then take a final semester of taught specialist modules. Professional recognition Our newly launched Physics with Quantum Technologies degree is awaiting Institute of Physics accreditation. Teaching Your programme will consist of a stimulating combination of lectures, laboratory work, tutorials, practical exercises and computational classes. There will be assigned coursework, problem solving and projects. Experimental and computational exercises, undertaken in the teaching laboratory, are designed to complement and aid the learning of concepts taught in lectures. Assessment Modules are assessed individually and credits are awarded for the successful completion of each one. Assessment takes place through a combination of examination and/or coursework, practical examinations and reports. Facilities We can boast extensive facilities within the Department of Physics, including our undergraduate teaching laboratories which recently underwent a thorough refurbishment. The Department has also recently benefited from a £3.5 million refurbishment of its research laboratories, which our undergraduate students use as they carry out their final-year research projects. The University of Surrey is currently leading a £6 million research project to develop quantum computers using atomic-scale devices. Academic support You are allocated a personal tutor to guide you through the programme and advise on your option choices and future career, helping you to get the most out of your time at Surrey. Global opportunities We give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities or by completing a Professional Training placement abroad. In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV. To check where you can go, visit our Global Exchanges pages. Careers and Professional Training We are very proud of our track record for graduate employability. One of the main reasons for our graduate employability success is our Professional Training placement programme which is one of the largest in the World, with over 2, 300 partner organisations in the UK and overseas. To find out more visit our Careers and Professional Training pages. The optional Professional Training placement starts at the end of the second academic year. Preparation for the Professional Training placement begins during Year 2. If you decide not to do the Professional Training year, you proceed directly to Year 3 to complete your taught modules and graduate in your third year.

If you want to study in the US at one of the world’s leading tech-focused institutions, chances are you're dreaming of either the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or California Institute of Technology – MIT or Caltech . From quantum physics to supercomputers, string theory to nuclear reactors, these are the places where the world’s best and brainiest gather to push back the frontiers of scientific and technological knowledge. But how do these top tech schools compare, and how can you decide whether MIT or Caltech would suit you best? Here’s a quick overview, with more detailed explanation below. MIT Caltech Ranked 1st in the world overall Rated 4th by graduate employers and 6th by academics 12th for faculty/student ratio 10th for research impact (citations per faculty member) 33rd in the world for percentage of international faculty members, and 65th for international students Ranked 5th in the world overall Rated 90th by graduate employers and 23rd by academics 3rd for faculty/student ratio 4th for research impact (citations per faculty member) 136th in the world for percentage of international faculty members, 112th for international students Ranked 1st in the world for engineering & technology 1st for natural sciences 6th for social sciences & management 4th for life sciences & medicine 16th for arts & humanities Ranked 17th in the world for engineering & technology 8th for natural sciences Joint 116th for social sciences & management Joint 115th for life sciences & medicine Joint 200th for arts & humanities Location Cambridge, Massachusetts, a university town close to Boston – one of the most historic and ‘happening’ cities in the US North East More seasonal variation in weather Pasadena, California, a university town close to Los Angeles – the second biggest city in the US Sunshine and warmth pretty much year-round Student community International students represent about 29% of students overall International students represent around 26% of students overall Fees and funding QS World University Rankings® 2016-2017 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is pretty much unbeatable in the QS World University Rankings® – it’s been ranked the world’s number one for the past five years running. The California Institute of Technology is no slouch though, and retained its position of fifth in the world recently. While MIT gets higher scores in the qualitative measures used to compile the rankings (two huge global surveys of academics and employers), Caltech comes out ahead on two of the quantitative measures used: faculty-student ratio and research citations per faculty member. In the 2016-2017 edition of the ranking, Caltech is ranked fourth in the world for research citations per faculty member – reflecting the huge influence Caltech has in the research sector despite its small size. In the latest rankings, the biggest gap between the two is in the percentage of international faculty members, where MIT has its largest lead. Both are well known as leading tech schools, and are particularly strong in the science and technology fields. Thanks to its prestigious Sloan School of Management, MIT also has a strong international reputation for social sciences and business-related courses. These strengths are reflected in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, which is based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research citations data. Despite its specialized focus, MIT features in the top 20 of each broad subject area in the subject rankings, including arts and humanities (16th). Caltech doesn’t have quite such a strong all-round performance, though it still places within the world’s top 200 for every broad subject area – no small feat. Its strongest areas by far are natural sciences (8th) and engineering and technology (17th). As you can see in the table below, MIT boasts a large number of first place rankings (12 in all), especially in engineering and technology subjects, and features in 32 of the 46 different subject rankings. By comparison, Caltech only features in 18. MIT and Caltech in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 MIT Caltech Accounting & finance 2nd Anthropology 50th Architecture 1st Art & design Biological sciences 8th Business & management 4th 101-150 Chemistry 8th Communication & media studies 22nd Computer science & information systems 27th Earth & marine sciences 5th 7th Economics =38th Engineering (chemical) Engineering (civil) 51-100 Engineering (electrical) 15th Engineering (mechnical) 14th English language & literature =29th 151-200 Environmental sciences 3rd =19th History 44th Linguistics Mathematics 12th Materials science 20th Medicine =12th Modern languages Performing arts =36th Philosophy =16th Physics & astronomy Politics Psychology =8th Social policy & administration Sociology =25th Sports-related subjects Statistics Both top tech schools are located in small university towns within easy reach of a major city. MIT is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a university town of under 150, 000 inhabitants which is also home to Harvard University – making this one of the world’s most prestigious hubs of academic tuition and research. Cambridge is close to Boston, one of the most culturally vibrant and historic cities in the Northeast US, which was ranked eighth in the latest QS Best Student Cities index. Some 3, 000 miles away, Caltech is in the Californian city of Pasadena, a university town of a similar size to Cambridge, and a stone’s throw from the second-largest city in the US, Los Angeles, which was ranked joint 47th in the Best Student Cities ranking. One of the major bragging points for Caltech students over their Northeastern rivals is the climate – southern California enjoys sunshine and warmth all year round, while MIT students get hot summers but freezing winters. Then again, a little seasonal variation is not necessarily a bad thing, and the New England region of which Massachusetts is a part of is famed worldwide for its beautiful fall colors. Student community Though both of these top tech schools are on the smaller side for world-class universities, MIT’s 11, 300-strong student body makes it roughly five times the size of Caltech, a crack-team of around 2, 240. Both institutions have a greater number of postgraduates than undergraduates, reflecting their research-intensive focus. Well-established among the world’s top tech schools, both attract applications from talented students all around the world, leading to highly diverse student bodies. International students account for around 29% of enrolments at MIT, compared to 26% at Caltech.

Princeton has a long tradition in observational, numerical, and theoretical cosmology with research efforts in physics, astronomy and at the IAS. Princeton faculty helped develop today’s standard cosmological model (Bahcall, Cen, Dunkley, Gott, J. Ostriker, Spergel, Steinhardt, Zaldarriaga) and helped introduce important concepts such as dark matter, dark energy, and inflation. Paul Steinhardt (physics) was not only a key figure in the development of the inflationary model, but has been recently developing its most promising alternative: the ekpyrotic universe. Princeton faculty are working on a diverse set of problems in theoretical cosmology: time travel (Gott), the topology of large-scale structure (Gott), the shape of the universe (Spergel), formation and evolution of galaxies and large-scale structure (Bahcall, Cen, J. Ostriker), clusters of galaxies and their use as cosmological tools (Bahcall, Cen, J. Ostriker), the distribution of dark matter (Bahcall, J. Ostriker), non-Gaussianities from the early universe (Spergel, Zaldarriaga), early star formation and cosmological reionization (Cen), galaxy formation, and the physics of the IGM (Bahcall, Cen, J. Ostriker). Princeton students and faculty are playing leading roles in both cosmic microwave background surveys and optical surveys, which have established our current concordance model of cosmology. Jo Dunkley, Lyman Page, Suzanne Staggs, and David Spergel are mapping the cosmic microwave background with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), and are studying its interaction with foreground galaxies and gas. Michael Strauss, Jenny Greene, Jim Gunn, and Robert Lupton are carrying out a large area imaging survey with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the Subaru 8.2-m telescope, using gravitational lensing to map the distribution of dark matter. They are also part of an international consortium building the Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS), which will measure the redshifts of millions of z>1 galaxies. Strauss and Lupton are involved in all aspects of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the pre-eminent ground-based survey telescope of the 2020's. Gunn continues his leadership role in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Princeton is also playing a leading role in NASA’s WFIRST mission: Jeremy Kasdin and David Spergel are co-chairs of the Science Working Group. Adam Burrows, Jenny Greene, and Robert Lupton are members of WFIRST Science Investigation teams. J. Ostriker, Cen, and their students have helped develop numerical cosmology. They have developed hydrodynamical simulation codes that have helped shape our understanding of the Lyman alpha forest, the formation of galaxies, and the Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium. They work closely with Jim Stone, E. Ostriker, and others to model the small-scale ("sub-grid") physics that determines the physical properties of galaxies, and with Strauss, Greene, and others to compare the results of their simulations with observations. Indeed, computational astrophysics is a major focus of the department.