Atmospheric laser radar as an undergraduate educational experience

The Georgia Tech Research Institute has teamed with a local undergraduate women’s institution, Agnes Scott College, to develop an eye safe atmospheric laser radar (lidar) system as a research experience for undergraduates. The students constructed the lidar under the supervision of Georgia Tech researchers after attending lectures and doing laboratory work on the technologies required to design and build the system. The course succeeded in making lidar technology accessible and appropriate for undergraduates and as a model for other schools. The associated research projects include studies of the planetary boundary layer, tropospheric aerosols and clouds, and the stratospheric aerosol layer.