Speakers
Description
ENTRANCE: use the northeast entrance to Badlands National Park which is located off Interstate 90 at Exit 131.
Science talk (1-2 presenters) - 1:00 pm MT - 20 minute presentation, 10 Q&A
Ask A Scientist(1-2 people) - 1:30 pm MT - 1 1/2 hours
Typically, from 1-3pm is the parks busiest timeframe.
The park ranger is happy to give a guided tour to any CETUP* participants immediately following the Ask A Scientist.
SPEAKER:
Dr. Akshatha Vydula is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Physics at the University of Richmond, where she is using the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia to produce an absolutely calibrated sky map at 310 MHz. Her research explores the early Universe and the formation of the first stars and galaxies. She develops calibration and analysis tools for low-frequency radio telescopes and is part of the EDGES collaboration - the only experiment to have reported a detection of the redshifted 21 cm signal from cosmic dawn. Her work also spans modeling galactic radio recombination lines and measuring the neutron lifetime using data from NASA’s Lunar Prospector mission. Beyond research, she is passionate about outreach and making science accessible to broader audiences. She is honored with the Bharat Gaurav Puraskar and recognized as one of 35 Under 35 Non-Resident Indians by the Bharat Vikas Foundation.
Abstract: Most of us admire the night sky visible to naked eyes, but there is an entire sky that remains hidden to our eyes. In this talk, I’ll introduce radio astronomy and how radio telescopes allow us to see the Universe in a completely different point of view. I’ll explain how neutral hydrogen emits radiation at a wavelength of 21 cm, making it possible to study the earliest eras of cosmic history, known as Cosmic Dawn. I’ll also share how large single-dish telescopes like the Green Bank Telescope are used to make radio sky maps, revealing a Universe that looks very different from what we see through optical telescopes.