MACRO Consortium Information

The MACRO Consortium is a collaborative research network uniting faculty and students from liberal arts colleges and research universities across the Midwest. Our mission is to advance scientific discovery in astrophysics while providing transformative, hands-on research opportunities for undergraduates. Founded by faculty at Coe College, Augustana College, Knox College, Macalester College, and the University of Iowa, MACRO manages joint observational, experimental, and computational projects. We remotely operate the Robert L. Mutel telescope, lead instrumentation development efforts—including work on next-generation spectroscopic detectors—and maintain active collaborations with national laboratories like those operated by the NRAO. MACRO students regularly present their work at national conferences, including the American Astronomical Society. Through this consortium, we cultivate the next generation of physicists and astronomers, bridging the gap between small-college teaching environments and cutting-edge international research.