Skip to content
Survey of Practicing Astronomers
8.
Survey of Practicing Astronomers in the U.S.
Information About You
1.
What do you believe influenced you and led you to a career in astronomy? Please select all that apply.
An informal science experience at a museum, planetarium, science center, etc.
A video or computer game
A family member
Doing a research project in science as a child
A teacher or science class in a K-12 school
A TV program, movie, or book
Participating in a science fair or other science competition
An instructor or science class in college
A friend
Money to be made as an astronomer
Prestige associated with astronomy
I'm unsure
OTHER: An optional text box has also been included below for you to add additional details, or additional factors that may have influenced you and led you to a career in astronomy. Feel free to respond with either a bulleted list or narrative text.
2.
Which best describes your current employment situation?
I am primarily employed ... (click on drop-down menu)
- at a K-12 education institution
- at a 2-year academic institution (e.g. community college, technical school)
- at a college or university
- at an informal science education institution (e.g. museum, science center, planetarium, etc.)
- in private industry
- at a research facility supported by government (e.g. National Observatory, NASA, etc.)
- at a non-research institution supported by government (e.g. NSF, serving an internship on Capitol Hill, etc.)
- at a NGO
- I am self employed
- I am retired but still active in the field of astronomy
- I am currently unemployed
Other (please specify)
3.
Please select all degrees completed.
PhD
MD
MA
MS
MBA
MPH
BS
BA
JD
Other professional/health degrees (e.g. EDM, EDD, DDS, DVM)
Other (please specify)
4.
Gender (Please feel free to skip this question if you would like.)
female
male
other
5.
Ethnicity (Please feel free to skip this question if you would like.)
Select all that apply.
Asian / Pacific Islander
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
Native American or American Indian
White
Other (please specify)
6.
Into which astronomy sub-discipline(s) is your current professional scientific work and/or research best categorized?
(Please check all that apply.)
Archaeoastronomy
Astrobiology
Astrochemistry
Astroengineering
Astrometry
Astronomy Education
Astrophysics
Celestial mechanics
Computational astronomy
Physical cosmology
Extragalactic astronomy
Galactic astronomy
Gamma-ray astronomy
Gravitational-wave astronomy
Neutrino astronomy
Observational astronomy
Planetary science
Radio astronomy
Solar Astronomy
Stellar astronomy
X-ray astronomy
Other (please specify)
7.
For how many years have you been a practicing astronomer?
less than 2 years
2 - 5 years
5 - 10 years
11 - 15 years
16 - 20 years
more than 20 years
8.
How long have you been at your current place of employment?
Less than 2 years
between 2 - 5 years
between 5 - 10 years
between 10 - 15 years
between 15 - 20 years
More than 20 years
9.
Throughout your professional career as a scientist, at how many different institutions have you been employed?
none
1 institution
2 institutions
3 institutions
4 institutions
5 institutions
6 institutions
7 institutions
8 institutions
more than 8 institutions
The Practice of Astronomy: Attitudes
10.
In doing your work as an astronomer, how important are the following attitudes?
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
commitment
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
respect for evidence
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
objectivity
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
considerate of others
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
intuition
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
think critically
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
compassion
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
imagination
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
no rush to judgment
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
empathy
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
honesty
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
open to uncertainty
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
11.
When engaging in your activities as as astronomer, how important is it to consider
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
the impact your own personal opinions might have on your research?
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
the impact your research might have on society?
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
the impact your own personal biases might have on your research?
no importance
limited importance
average importance
much importance
extreme importance
The Practice of Astronomy: Tools and Techniques
12.
In your work as an astronomer today,
how many different investigations/research projects are you engaged in
?
NOTE:
For the purpose of this study, a "research project" is defined as a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics investigation that could potentially lead to a journal article, book, or report, and that would have the potential of successfully going through a peer review process, and making it to publication.
none
1 investigation/research project
2 investigation/research projects
3 investigation/research projects
4 investigation/research projects
5 investigation/research projects
6 investigation/research projects
7 investigation/research projects
8 investigation/research projects
more than 8 investigation/research projects
13.
In your work as an astronomer,
on average
over the past year
, how often did you engage in
How Often
searching and/or reading literature related to your research or science interests?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
thinking about and/or developing scientific questions?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
designing procedures for scientific investigations?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
designing new scientific equipment and/or instrumentation?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
constructing or performing maintenance on scientific equipment and/or instrumentation?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
writing or modifying computer programs/scripts or app development?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
the development of computer simulations?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
the use of data from preexisting data archives for your own research project(s)?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
the collection of new scientific data for your own research project(s)?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
the analysis and interpretation of scientific data?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
14.
In your work as an astronomer,
on average
over the past year
, how often did you engage in the use of models (e.g. computer, physical, mathematical, etc.) to
How Often
help organize or explain observations?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
develop new hypothesis?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
come up with new questions?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
15.
In your work as an astronomer,
on average
over the past year
, how often did you
How Often
use your imagination?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
use your intuition to come up with new questions to study?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
use your intuition to identify new knowledge resulting from your research?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
16.
In your work as an astronomer,
over the past year
, how many hours
were you at the instrument/telescope, or in the instrument/telescope control room, when data were being collected for your research project(s)
?
none (in the past year)
1 - 10 hours
10 - 20 hours
20 - 30 hours
30 - 40 hours
40 - 50 hours
50 - 100 hours
100 - 150 hours
150 - 200 hours
200 - 250 hours
250 - 300 hours
more than 300 hours
17.
In your current work as an astronomer, which type of
data are typically used by you for your research projects
?
Select all that apply.
gamma-ray
x-ray
ultraviolet
visible
infrared
microwave
radio
gravitational wave
Other (please specify)
18.
In your current work as an astronomer,
what kind of data do you typically work with for the research projects you are engaged in
?
Select all that apply.
images
spectral data (line or continuum)
data from computer generated models
Other (please specify)
19.
In doing your work as an astronomer,
on average
over the past year
,
how often did you use the following types of mathematics
?
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Arithmetic (+, -, x, /)
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Algebra
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Geometry
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Trigonometry
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Statistics
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Calculus
Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
~7-11 times a year
~2-6 times a year
once
never
Other (please specify and state how often)
20.
In your work as an astronomer,
on average
over the past year
, what percentage of your time was spent
working at your computer and/or tablet (e.g. iPad, etc.)
?
0 - 10% of your time
10 - 20% of your time
20 - 30% of your time
30 - 40% of your time
40 - 50% of your time
50 - 60% of your time
60 - 70% of your time
70 - 80% of your time
80 - 90% of your time
90 - 100% of your time
21.
From
start to conclusion
, on average,
how long have your astronomy-related research projects taken to complete
?
(Please consider the start point to be the time when you begin seriously thinking about the question and begin preliminary research relevant to the question, and the end point to be the submission of the work for publication.)
less than 1 month
1 – 4 months
5 – 8 months
9 – 12 months
13 – 16 months
17 – 20 months
21 – 24 months
25 – 28 months
29 – 32 months
33 – 36 months
More than 36 months (3 years)
The Practice of Astronomy: Social Interactions
22.
In your work as an astronomer,
on average
over the past year
, how often did you
How Often
engage in performing administrative/management duties?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in writing research articles or other scientific documentation?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in the review of documents for other scientists?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in writing funding proposals or otherwise seeking funding for future projects?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in preparation to teach a class
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in teaching a class?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in mentoring others?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
engage in education and public outreach (EPO) activities?
daily
several times a week
several times a month
once a month
7 - 11 times a year
2 - 6 times a year
once a year
never
23.
On how many different scientific research publications are you considered an author or co-author, or editor
?
(NOTE: For the purpose of this study a "scientific research publication" is defined as a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) journal article, book, or report that has successfully gone through the peer review process, and made it to publication or is currently in the process of being published.)
none
1 - 5 publication(s)
6 - 10 publications
11 - 15 publications
16 – 20 publications
21 – 30 publications
31 – 40 publications
41 – 50 publications
More than 50 publications
24.
In your work as an astronomer,
over the past year
,
how many professional meetings or conferences did you attend
?
(Examples may include but are not limited to AAS, AAAS, AGU, etc.)
none
1 - 2 professional meetings or conferences
3 - 4 professional meetings or conferences
5 - 6 professional meetings or conferences
7 - 8 professional meetings or conferences
9 - 10 professional meetings or conferences
more than 10
25.
In your work as an astronomer,
over the past year
,
how many formal presentations did you make about your research at conferences, meetings, workshops, lunch talks, etc.
?
none
1 - 2 formal presentations made
3 - 4 formal presentations made
5 - 6 formal presentations made
7 - 8 formal presentations made
9 - 10 formal presentations made
11 - 15 formal presentations made
16 - 20 formal presentations made
more than 20
26.
In doing your work as an astronomer, over the past year,
what is the average number of colleagues with whom you collaborated with in significant ways during a typical work-week
?
(The collaborations may have taken place via face-to-face communication, Skype, telephone, email, etc.)
none
1 - 5 colleagues
6 - 10 colleagues
11 - 15 colleagues
16 - 20 colleagues
21 - 25 colleagues
26 - 30 colleagues
31 - 35 colleagues
35 – 40 colleagues
more than 40 colleagues
27.
How many of the colleagues with whom you have collaborated with in significant ways over the past year
are primarily located in a different country
?
none
1 - 3 colleagues
4 - 6 colleagues
7 - 9 colleagues
10 - 12 colleagues
13 - 15 colleagues
16 - 18 colleagues
19 - 21 colleagues
more than 21 colleagues
28.
How many of the colleagues with whom you have collaborated with, in significant ways, over the past year
work primarily in a science/engineering discipline other than astronomy
?
none
1 - 3 colleagues
4 - 6 colleagues
7 - 9 colleagues
10 - 12 colleagues
13 - 15 colleagues
16 - 18 colleagues
19 - 21 colleagues
more than 21 colleagues
29.
If you responded "none" to the previous question, please skip this question.
Into which science and engineering disciplines do your colleagues (from disciplines other than astronomy) with whom you collaborate best fit? Please check all that apply.
I don't know
Biological Sciences (food science, biochemistry, cell biology, environmental life science, etc.)
Computer/information sciences
Health
Mathematics/statistics
Physical Sciences - Chemistry
Physical Sciences - Earth/atmospheric/ocean sciences
Physical Sciences - Physics
Psychology
Social Sciences (e.g. economics, education, political sciences, etc.)
Engineering - Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering
Engineering - Chemical engineering
Engineering - Civil engineering
Engineering - Electrical/computer engineering
Engineering - Materials/metallurgical engineering
Engineering - Mechanical engineering
Engineering - Other engineering
Other (please specify)
30.
As an astronomer, over the past year,
what is the average number of hours per week you spent engaged in all work related activities
?
1 - 10 hours per week
11 - 20 hours per week
21 - 30 hours per week
31 - 35 hours per week
36 - 40 hours per week
41 - 45 hours per week
46 - 50 hours per week
51 - 55 hours per week
56 - 60 hours per week
61 - 65 hours per week
66 - 70 hours per week
more than 70 hours per week
31.
You may choose to
end the survey at this time, or answer three optional open-ended questions
that will help enrich this study. The three questions are as follows:
A. Through your responses in this survey you have identified what you as an astronomer do. In a "perfect world" how would you change what you as an astronomer do?
B. What makes astronomy meaningful to you?
C. As you think about your own Pre-Kindergarten through college learning, how do you think astronomy-related learning experiences could be changed to be more reflective of what astronomers do?
You may choose to respond to these questions here, or request a telephone interview with the researcher to respond to the questions verbally.
Please select the appropriate response below, and click "Next".
Yes I would like to answer one or more of the optional open-ended questions now via this survey.
I would like to answer one or more of the optional open-ended questions via a telephone interview.
No thank you, I do not wish to respond to these questions. Please take me to the end of the survey now.