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Engineering physics senior Angel Hernandez is spending the summer looking to the stars and learning the fundamentals of radio astronomy.

Earlier this summer, Hernandez completed a boot camp on radio astronomy at the Green Bank Observatory (GBO) in West Virginia. Now he’s at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program where he continues to explore the field.

Boot camp takes Hernandez to new heights

Hernandez facing his fear of heights on a tour of the 100-meter diameter Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Image Credit: NSF/AUI/GBO

During the week-long boot camp at the Green Bank Observatory, students from around the country met with their peers, dove into the basics of radio astronomy, and conducted observations using the 40-foot telescope with a four-person team. The students even toured the enormous Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope that stands about 485 feet above ground level, which Hernandez said tested his fear of heights.

Radio astronomy uses massive telescopes to detect celestial objects like stars and galaxies through radio frequencies. Since its establishment by Karl Jansky in the 1930s, the technique has led to the discovery of pulsars, quasars, and radio galaxies.

Hernandez said the best part of the boot camp was hearing about all the science that radio astronomy has contributed to. “The engineering behind a radio telescope is quite sophisticated and the science from observations has given us further insight on what is out there in our universe,” he said.

Because the observatory is in a radio quiet zone to avoid interference, there is no cell phone service or wireless internet. But there’s plenty to learn and do, and the break from constant connection was welcomed by Hernandez.

“Not having cell service or wireless internet wasn’t bad at all,” he said. “It was really nice to be disconnected from the outside world, read without distractions, and go on various hikes.” The break also helped him get as much sleep as he could. Hernandez and his team were assigned the 2am to 5am time block to conduct their observations.

Exploring research interests at an REU

Summer 2024 NRAO REU students pictured with Green Bank Telescope staff, and Jim Braatz, Director of Student Programs. Image Credit: NSF/AUI/GBO

The boot camp was a precursor to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s REU program, which Hernandez is attending this summer in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Through the REU, Hernandez hopes to narrow down his research interests. “I have never directly worked with observational data before and have always been curious about the methods behind observations,” he said.

Hernandez is a military veteran who returned to pursue his undergraduate education in engineering physics at ��ƷSM����ӰƬ after serving in the Marine Corps. His research activities have included fluid dynamics with Professor Michael Calkins, a summer research experience at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and now, radio astronomy.

He is currently working on a computational astrophysics project to model the stellar atmosphere of a binary system of a massive star and black hole.

Making a difference

REU students were trained on conducting radio observations on the 40-foot telescope which is primarily used for education purposes. Taking radio observations on the 40-foot telescope was a four-person task. Image Credit: NSF/AUI/GBO

Research is not his only focus. Hernandez is also passionate about diversity and community efforts. After his military service, Hernandez spent several years working on a STEM outreach program for kids in Chicago.

Since enrolling at ��ƷSM����ӰƬ, he has dedicated substantial time and effort to build more community within the Department of Physics.

Hernandez helped revitalize the student group , by initially stepping in as president and now serving as an advisor to the group’s leadership team. COSMOS supports underrepresented and marginalized students in physics, astronomy, and math, through mentorship, community, and professional development.