Carroll College stands out as the only undergraduate institution in the world with a unique partnership with the prestigious W. M. Keck Observatory, situated atop Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s Big Island. Thanks to the generosity of Roy ‘62 and Frances Simperman, Carroll’s math and data science students have the extraordinary opportunity to participate in an internship at the Keck Observatory. So far, four students have taken part in this remarkable experience: Terry Cox (2019), Reina Ishibashi (2020), Keaton Blair (2021), and most recently, Cole Odegard, who completed his internship this past year.
The Keck Observatory, home to the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes, offers Carroll students a chance to apply their data science knowledge to real-world challenges. Cole, who took a year off between his sophomore and junior years at Carroll for this internship, has now returned to campus for the 2024-25 academic year.
Reflecting on his time at Keck and in Hawaii, Cole shared that his favorite project involved transferring the star catalogs into MySQL databases. This task not only enhanced his SQL, Python, and Unix programming skills but also provided a performance boost to some of Keck's instruments.
However, Cole emphasized that his experience wasn't limited to his work at the observatory. He thoroughly enjoyed his time outside of work, hiking numerous trails (including summiting Mauna Kea!), mastering surfing and boogie boarding, and exploring the beaches on the Kona side of the island. He connected with other young adventurers, tried new activities like manta ray snorkeling, open ocean swimming, and even cow cuddling. The highlight of his time in Hawaii was taking first place in his age group at Lavaman, an Olympic-distance triathlon held annually in Waikoloa.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Simpermans and Carroll College for sponsoring the Keck Internship. This experience facilitated a lot of cool out-of-work experiences, including learning how to boogie board, surf, and properly eat a starfruit.
"At work, I was able to collaborate with some of the brightest minds in astronomy from all over the world, all of us working to enhance the W. M. Keck Observatory's operations. After all of the lava rock hikes, Mauna Kea sunsets, and open ocean swims, I can say that this experience was one of the most transformative of my college career. Mahalo Nui Loa to Carroll and the Keck Observatory!"