Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Welcomes MMA Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellows Pop-Up Science Talk

November 16, 2023

NANTUCKET, MA — The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host the MMA’s National Science Foundation Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellows, Emmy Wisz and August Muller, for a pop-up science talk concerning their research. People may know them from Open Nights at Loines Observatory and their weekly Star Reports. Their pop-up science talk, “In a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Spectral Analyses of Distant Galaxies,” will take place on Monday, December 4 at 4:30pm EST. It will be presented in person at the MMA’s Research Center, 4 Vestal Street, or online via Zoom. This presentation is free to all.


How do we learn about galaxies a billion light years away? How do we learn about the history of our own home galaxy, the Milky Way? By using spectral analysis, as well as other techniques, we can gain insight into the chemical composition of faraway galaxies and their environments, creating a roadmap to understand how galaxies form and evolve over time. Emission from galaxies reveals properties of the local galactic environment, such as the star formation rate and age. Absorption features provide a peek into regions of the galactic environment that are rich in gas and home to the elements necessary for star formation. Focused on a type of galaxy called a damped Lyman-alpha system, or DLA for short, Emmy Wisz will explain how we use bright background sources as lighthouses to learn about galaxies that are too distant to be seen directly. By investigating the home galaxies of the still-mysterious fast radio bursts, August Muller will discuss how these strange bursts may come to be and how we are using them to probe the distant Universe.


Emmy Wisz obtained her B.A. in Astronomy and Physics from Bryn Mawr College. Her undergraduate research focused on galaxy formation and evolution, studying the impacts of morphology on radial metallicity gradients. She is excited to continue to be involved in the field of galaxy evolution, researching damped Lyman-ɑ (DLA) systems to expand on her understanding of the formation of galaxies over time.


August Muller holds a B.S. in Physics from Haverford College. Her undergraduate thesis investigated techniques for detecting extreme mass-ratio inspiral gravitational wave signals for the upcoming LISA gravitational wave detector. During her year on Nantucket, August is excited to learn more about observational astronomy as she investigates the host galaxies of fast radio bursts.


Join Emmy Wisz and August Muller for this Pop-Up Talk in person or on Zoom. Pre-registration is required for Zoom.


To register for this event, please follow the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I9eFc4PrTCW-H_E-WiEcug


This series is generously sponsored by our lead sponsor, Bank of America.


The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.


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For Immediate Release

November 16, 2023

Contact: Molly Mosscrop, Marketing Director

mmosscrop@mariamitchell.org

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