Noura's Story: My interest in Astronomy started in 4th grade, but I didn't get a chance to study it until I went to college. In 2016, I left my home in Los Angeles, CA and I moved to Prescott, AZ to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy in 2020. When I first started undergrad, I wasn't sure which research field interested me so I ended up joining a few projects over the years. I actually started with a particle physics project to detect neutrinos, and then soon after I transitioned to an instrumentation project associated with Advanced LIGO optics where I learned important lab skills. After finishing that project, I decided to try getting into the lucrative field of exoplanets, where I had a mini observational project to collect exoplanet transit data and characterize the orbit, which was my first time using a telescope to collect data. Then finally, for my senior thesis, I studied the massive binary system eta Carinae where I built a reduction routine to analyze spectra and study the photometric pulsations. During my 4 years of undergrad, I also found a passion for outreach and science communication through my work at the planetarium, and the STEM outreach department. By the end of my undergraduate career, I knew I enjoyed observational work and wanted to pursue a graduate research project related to exoplanets, but it was also important to me to find a program that would allow me to continue my outreach work. With those criteria in mind, I sought out graduate programs in astronomy and the University of Michigan became my top choice. I was impressed with the wide range of research that the department offered, and the strong commitment to community outreach. When I was admitted in Fall 2020, I was even more impressed with the sense of community among the grad students even though we were all working remotely. The transition to grad school was hard for me as I realized that I didn't have the strongest physics or coding background, but I never found myself struggling alone. This is where I give so much credit to my cohort and fellow grad students who were always there to help and answer questions. Grad school is hard, but it becomes much easier with a supportive community. As for my research, I Joined John Monnier's group to study young stars with planet-forming disks using long baseline interferometry. I was a complete novice to this branch of astronomy, but I found it fascinating and quickly found a passion for this innovative technique and science.
Noura's Interests: I am interested in star and planet formation by studying planet-forming disks. I am mostly focused on trying to understand what happens in the most inner edges where the dust in the disk is destroyed due to the heat from the star. This region is so small and no single telescope is powerful enough to resolve it for direct imaging, which is why we use long baseline interferometry. I use the largest optical/near-infrared Interferometer in the world, the CHARA Array, to observe young Herbig and T Tauri stars. With a resolving power that is 50x better than Hubble and JWST, I am able to make models and images of the never-seen-before inner edges of the dusty disks, allowing us to characterize them and look for any motion or non-uniformity. Through image reconstruction, I found evidence of a slowly orbiting structure in the inner disk of HD 190073, as well as mysterious emission from the supposedly dark cavity around the star. I am currently working on an imaging survey of these young objects to characterize as many as possible and advance our understanding of star and planet formation.
Noura's Advice for Future Astronomy Students: When deciding on a program, it is crucial to find a department that is the right fit for you, and not just the one with the most prestige and name recognition. At the end of the day, a strong community will support you and allow you to thrive, rather than compete with you and leave you to struggle. Also, It is ok to not be sure what you want to specialize in. If you have the opportunity, try to dabble in different projects, and don't be afraid to try new things. Reach out to people in the fields that interest you, and they will be able to set realistic expectations for their field of work.
What's next for Noura? After my PhD, I would like to find a job that will allow me to work on the science problems that interest me, while allowing me to pursue outreach and science communication opportunities.
