By Hans Most '10

Hastings, Minnesota
Physics, Astronomy
After Mac: Applying to grad schools to pursue a Ph.D. in Physics

At Mac, I jumped right into astronomy classes, taking as many as I could. There is a wide variety of astronomy classes, from an introductory course to upper-level labs and lectures. On campus we have a science-grade observatory, allowing us to take real data for projects. In one upper-level observational astronomy class we learned about radio astronomy. As part of this class, we were granted telescope time at the Very Large Array (VLA), a radio telescope in New Mexico, to take observations of a galaxy, on which we then performed original science. As a class, we traveled down to the VLA to see it in action and to work with our data, which was an amazing opportunity.

Why does this dwarf galaxy have holes in the gas? Why do stars form where they do?

Working with astronomy professor John Cannon over the summer, I learned more about radio astronomy as I looked at a nearby dwarf galaxy, reducing and analyzing data obtained through the VLA. Along with the VLA observations, I used observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. With these observations, I have been working to decipher what has happened in this galaxy. I have been working to answer such questions as: Why are there holes in the gas? And why are they where they are? And, why do stars form where they do? The galaxy that I am working on is part of a larger group of dwarf galaxies that are being studied in hopes of better understanding galaxy evolution.

Some Mac astronomy students go on to a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) experience, doing astronomical research at other universities or observatories using their facilities. Macalester has great facilities and faculty, so we are able to do amazing things here on campus. A great thing about Macalester professors is that they are willing to help students find opportunities at other locations, as well as provide excellent opportunities here at Mac.