Advisors: Lisa McBride and Dr. Rahul Biswas Description: We now know that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate due to the presence of dark energy. In order to better understand the nature of dark energy we will explore the effects that different expansion histories of the universe have…
Advisors: Diana Windemuth and Professor Eric Agol Description: Most stars come in pairs*. When two stars orbit around each other, they form a binary system. In an eclipsing binary, one of the stars “eclipses” or passes in front of the other and blocks its light as viewed from Earth. This…
Advisors: John Lurie, Professor Suzanne Hawley, and Kolby Weisenberger Description: Stars are the fundamental building blocks of galaxies. They emit enormous amounts of energy and produce all of the elements beyond hydrogen and helium, not to mention hosting planets. Determining the fundamental properties of stars — such as their masses,…
Advisors: Phoebe Upton Sanderbeck and Professor Matt McQuinn Description: Most of the matter in the Universe lies between galaxies in the intergalactic medium. The gas there is so diffuse that the it emits very little radiation. The primary way to detect it is to look at very bright supermassive black…
My name is Aislynn Wallach. I went to South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington. As a freshman, I do not have a major yet, but my intended majors are astronomy and physics. My interest in science stems from my love of learning. I love to spend my time…
I am Zoe and I am from Austin, Texas. I like to go hiking, watch movies, and learn about astronomy because I love science!! Science is awesome because it explains our world and, in the case of astronomy, our universe. I hope to work for NASA one day and study…
My name is Aleezah Ali. I was born in Kirkland and grew up in Redmond. I graduated from Redmond High School and now am a freshman at the UW. I am undeclared but hope to double major in physics and astronomy. In my free time I enjoy hiking, biking, watching…
Hello, world! My name is Ananya Garg and I’m from Woodinville, WA. I am so glad to finally be here at UW and in Pre-MAP! I have always had a fascination with the cosmos, and I can’t wait to dive into the projects and further my understanding. When I’m not…
Hi my name is Michael but my friends call me Puig and I am freshman. I was born in Texas but I grew up in Chico, California. I am hoping to be an Astronomy major but I’m not sure yet. I’ve been interested in astronomy and I hope Pre-MAP will…
My name is Josh Smith, I’m a sophomore and I’m currently working towards a double major in physics and astronomy. I decided I wanted to study astronomy last year after realizing physics is more fun than chemistry. I’m from Mukilteo, WA, so only about 20 minutes north of UW and…
I’m from Olympia, WA; however, my mom is from Spain, so I speak fluent Spanish. I went to Capital High School; my main interests there were soccer and wind ensemble/marching band, both of which I did all four years. Some other hobbies I have are reading, hanging out with friends,…
Hello! Like it says, my name is Andrea Chen but some of my friends call me Andy or andyblueyo. I’ve been living in Seattle for most of my life, and couldn’t leave the city because I love how environmentally conscious Seattle is! (Go composting!) I’m not sure what I’ll be…