Meet the DAWN-IRES Scholars: Sarah Bodansky

Tell me a little about yourself.

I'm going to be a second year grad student at UMass Amherst, and I study galaxy evolution. I'm from Phoenix, Arizona, but I've lived all over the US at various points. I like to read all sorts of books, but especially fantasy. My favorites right now are the Broken Earth Trilogy and The Dispossessed. I like hanging out with my pets (I have a dog and cat at home and a cat in Massachusetts), cooking, and going on Wikipedia for long periods of time. I play a few instruments badly-- piano, guitar and ukulele.

How did you get interested in astronomy?

I was always excited by space as a kid, but I was also interested in science in general. When I got to college I was thinking about being a biology major, but I took a physics class instead and really liked that. I started doing research with Cindy Blaha at Carleton College who studies Local Group galaxies. I really enjoyed that experience and then realized that I loved physics and astronomy.

What is your favorite part about Copenhagen?  DAWN?

I love how walkable and bikeable and how easy to get around it is. I've only lived in places where the easiest way to get around is by car so I love the emphasis on public transport and biking. It's a really liveable city. I like how collaborative DAWN is and how it seems like everyone is working on similar problems. It seems like a really great environment to study high redshift galaxies.

What motivated you to apply to an international REU?

My advisor being involved definitely influenced me to apply, but also I've never had the chance to do a study abroad type program in undergrad so it seemed like a neat opportunity to live somewhere else for a while and get to do research.

Can you tell me about your PhD research?

Broadly, I am studying how dust evolves in galaxies from cosmic noon to the more local universe. The project I'm working on right now is how dust mass in star forming galaxies evolves using LMT/TolTEC data.

What skills and knowledge would you like to acquire this summer?

I've mostly been trying to develop a stacking algorithm so that when I get data from TolTEC I will be able to immediately process it and get the dust masses for the galaxies I'm working with. I'm also improving my biking skills -- before this summer, I hadn't ridden a bike since elementary school.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

I think the ability to control time would be helpful. Not necessarily being able to go forward or backwards in time, but just pause. 

Meet the DAWN-IRES Scholars: Ezra Huscher

Tell me a little about yourself.

I did my undergrad in Kansas and I've been working for the laboratory of atmospheric and space physics in Boulder for the last 3 years (LASP). I worked on Jupiter, did planetary science for a long time and simultaneously worked on some simulations of the high redshift circumgalactic medium while I was there. Before that I was teaching high school for 4-5 years. Towards the end of LASP, I got interested in cosmology and that is what I am doing my PhD in at New Mexico State University. I love basketball, playing it, watching it, writing about it. I also play the piano.

How did you get interested in astronomy?

I suppose probably two things that got me interested in astronomy. The first was my very last semester in Kansas, where I was a physics major. Astronaut Steve Holly, who went to KU, had just retired, but came back and taught a class. I took his class and it was great, I really liked it. The second reason is that I have always been into Star Trek. I just like science, all science, but I had to buckle down and pick at some point.

What is your favorite part about Copenhagen?  DAWN?

I bike everywhere, always in the US, and put some effort out to push cities to make biking easier. Coming here where it is the norm has been wonderful. I like the weather a lot too — it is not too hot here.

I'm coming around to getting to know people at DAWN. Everyone is nice and helpful. It is a nice group of people. The building space is cool and I like the bike ride to get here.

What motivated you to apply to an international REU?

Kristian Finlator, my advisor, suggested I apply. I was deciding between staying at school and coming here, and it seemed like a great opportunity to see a new place. I've never been to this part of Europe.

Can you tell me about your PhD research?

I am doing simulations of reionization. In particular, I'm working on Carbon IV and trying to figure out why simulations are underproducing Carbon IV.

What skills and knowledge would you like to acquire this summer?

Part of my thought process was to get a little bit more observationally minded through my visit to DAWN. I'm also hoping to learn a little bit of Danish. I'm ordering (roughly) in Danish and I can do greetings.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

I'd like to be able to change my appearance. Like shape shift to be anything, animals, etc. Like Mystique from the X Men.

Meet the DAWN-IRES Scholars: Eric Rumsfeld

Tell me a little about yourself.

I am originally from Denver, Colorado and I go to school at Wesleyan, which is a small liberal arts college in Connecticut. While in college my parents moved to San Francisco. I'm enjoying exploring San Francisco, but Denver is definitely still home. I have three dogs: Scarlett is a yellow lab and she's 13, Olivia is a corgi and she's 6, and Sadie is a spaniel who is 2. I really like listening to music and creating playlists. I like most music except for country and metal. I really like basketball — I like the NBA and the Nuggets. I also like to play basketball for fun, e.g., intramural and pickup games.

How did you get interested in astronomy?

I primarily got into astronomy after my freshman year. My first class I took at Wesleyan with Meredith Hughes and I thought she was the best teacher ever. She really inspired me with her enthusiasm for astronomy; her ways of thinking about astronomy inspired me to have my own interests in astronomy. I haven't always been into astronomy though. As a child, I didn't look through a telescope. That didn’t happen until college, so I guess I'm kind of a late bloomer.

What is your favorite part about Copenhagen?  DAWN?

I like the light. It's light outside all of the time. That's the starkest difference compared to where I'm from. I assume there is a balance to that in the winter. Within the city every day there is such a nice vibe. The other day we played basketball until 10pm because we didn't notice it was so late (the light!).

I really like how the DAWN team is built. It feels like a home grown community that came from simple beginnings, but that a lot of people here have bought into it. Everyone seems really interested in the common science goal of understanding the first galaxies.

What motivated you to apply to an international REU?

I always wanted to study abroad because I really love traveling and also I have an older brother who did 2 semesters abroad and had a great time. That inspired me. But I found that during the semesters it's not as easy and I like being around my friends. So when I found a summer opportunity of doing research abroad, it became my top choice.

Can you tell me about your summer research project?  

This summer I am working with Francesca Rizzo on seeing the effectiveness of [CII] as a potential tracer for molecular gas in high redshift galaxies. We are playing around with that idea in a couple of different scenarios. We are also exploring [CII]'s roles in galaxies in general (e.g., atomic gas and other emission line tracers).

What skills and knowledge would you like to acquire this summer?

The number one skill it would be really beneficial to get is to be better at python. I have a good amount of practical intro because my courses at school have had that as an emphasis. But more practice would be great. I'm also realizing that the professional development side of things is important. Being able to interact with other scientists is vital.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

The ability to stop time for 30 minutes at a time. You shouldn't be able to stop it forever, that would be too weird for your psychological state. I'm always trying to do so much so that would take away a lot of stress.