Building on gravitational wave research from the last decade, the European Space Agency (ESA) teamed up with NASA for the upcoming . NASA鈥檚 Astrophysics Division selected six U.S. scientists from all over the nation to serve on the joint ESA-NASA LISA Science Team; they will join a team of eleven European scientists along with two interdisciplinary scientists and a representative from the LISA Consortium.

Among the six U.S. scientists chosen is 56吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚 Dr. Joey Shapiro Key, associate professor in physics.  

We鈥檙e going to be working hard to ensure the success of the mission. But that is something that I want to contribute my time to.

A multi-generational legacy in astronomy 

During her time in graduate school at Montana State University, Key intended to focus on cosmology but was still unsure of her path. She began working on cosmology research with Dr. Neil Cornish but changed to his research group鈥檚 focus on gravitational waves.    

鈥淚 was an astrophysics major in college and I worked on cosmology in undergrad,鈥� Key said. 鈥淏ut in grad school, I started working on gravitational wave astronomy because that’s what my adviser was working on.鈥�   

Key鈥檚 research has contributed to LIGO, LISA and NANOGrav, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves.    

鈥淭hese big missions that we do, like LIGO and like LISA, they’re multi-generational,鈥� Key said. 鈥淚 mean, really human generations, scientific generations and academic generations.鈥�   

Key’s adviser, Cornish, had been working on these missions long before he taught her, and now she is teaching students who will become leaders in this field in 10 to 15 years. Cornish is also one of the six scientists selected to work on the LISA mission, so after many decades of working and researching, Key and Cornish will reunite for the project as peers and colleagues.    

鈥淚 trained with him and learned from him,鈥� Key said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun and exciting to continue collaborating with him in this new role.”  

Nurturing curiosity and discovery in the classroom 

As an associate professor at 56吃瓜网 Bothell, Key incorporates current research and discoveries in her teaching. Because it’s happening in real-time, gravitational wave research makes its way into her physics and cosmology courses, classical mechanics and astronomy 101.    

鈥淚t’s natural and timely to include all of this in classes,鈥� Key said.    

56吃瓜网 Bothell provides programs and opportunities for students to get involved in cutting-edge gravitational wave research. Last year, Jayron Yucker, a senior pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Physics, received an email from Key offering her mentorship. Yucker became involved in Key鈥檚 gravitational wave research group and was encouraged to apply for the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). In this program, he worked with simulated LISA data 鈥� particularly looking at extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRI), small black holes orbiting supermassive black holes.  

Astronomy is sort of a gateway science. People can get excited even if it doesn鈥檛 connect to the details of their everyday life.聽聽

One of the more well-known opportunities at 56吃瓜网 Bothell are the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, which provide students with immersive research experiences over the summer. August Muller, a visiting researcher at 56吃瓜网 Bothell, was part of the 2021 Physics REU cohort working with Key on LISA EMRI search techniques. Muller came to 56吃瓜网 Bothell because it was one of the only research programs she applied to that would give her hands-on research experience. Even after completing the REU, Muller kept updated on the gravitational wave project and it later became the focus of her bachelor鈥檚 thesis. 

鈥淚 sort of realized in that moment that I was having more fun in the research that I was doing with Joey,鈥� Muller said. 鈥淭rying out different fields and really using that as an opportunity to figure out what one likes and doesn’t like as an academic and as a scientist, I think was very useful to me.鈥� 

Now, Muller鈥檚 beginning a 10-month Fulbright fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics where she will be continuing her gravitational wave research.   

鈥淭hat’s how the undergraduate research goes,” Key said. 鈥淭hey’re long-term projects that students come on and learn about the project and contribute and then sort of pass it along.鈥�   

Due to the generational longevity of this field, K-12 outreach efforts are crucial for engaging high school students in gravitational wave research. Initiatives like the aim to make complex scientific concepts accessible and exciting for younger audiences.   

Through outreach and research opportunities, educators like Key are cultivating the next generation of scholars in this relatively young field.    

鈥淎stronomy is sort of a gateway science,鈥� Key said. 鈥淧eople can get excited even if it doesn’t connect to the details of their everyday life.”  

LISA鈥檚 unique design: A space-based revolution 

Set to launch in 2035, LISA鈥檚 design consists of three spacecraft arranged in an equilateral triangle, with laser beams extending approximately 2.5 million miles on each side measuring the distance between them. When an astronomical event occurs, the gravitational waves will cause the spacecrafts to shift slightly. The lasers will measure that distance and send the signal to scientists down on Earth to analyze 鈥� which is the role Key is assisting with.    

Designing this mission to be in space is more complicated according to Key, but it holds a lot of advantages. Because it will operate in space, LISA will span larger than the Earth and be incredibly sensitive to gravitational waves 鈥� resulting in LISA collecting a lot of data for scientists. One of the key objectives of the mission is to learn more about supermassive black holes. Located at the center of almost every large galaxy, a supermassive black hole has a mass of hundreds of thousands to billions of times the Sun鈥檚 mass, according to NASA. But scientists know very little about them. 

鈥淟ISA is our only prospect for observing those kinds of systems,鈥� Key said.    

This ability to capture the subtle shifts caused by gravitational waves will revolutionize our understanding of the fundamental nature of gravity, black holes and galaxies.  

Key’s commitment to advancing gravitational wave research 

Due to its incredible sensitivity, LISA will collect a lot of overlapping signals which will need to be analyzed so they aren鈥檛 contaminating each other. Key鈥檚 role in the mission is to analyze simulated LISA data since the mission has not yet launched.  

鈥淚t makes it an interesting data analysis problem,鈥� Key said. 鈥淩ight now, I use simulated LISA data to demonstrate our analysis techniques 鈥� that鈥檚 what I do with students here at 56吃瓜网 Bothell.鈥�   

Key鈥檚 role in the mission is essential because her work enables LISA鈥檚 gravitational wave data to identify the properties of different astrophysical sources. Key鈥檚 term on the LISA science team will last three years; collaborating with the other scientists selected and learning more about the data that LISA will collect on its 4.5-year mission orbiting around the Sun. 

鈥淚t’s a great honor to be selected,鈥� Key said. 鈥淥ur field is full of smart, talented, motivated scientists working to answer these kinds of questions, this new kind of astronomy and this new way to observe the cosmos and black holes and other kinds of sources. We’re going to be working hard to ensure the success of the mission. But that is something that I want to contribute my time to.鈥� 

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The evidence, newly published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, comes from several teams of researchers, including several from the 56吃瓜网.

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Every year, Rodr铆guez Hidalgo鈥檚 students organize the event as an opportunity to teach the public and their peers on campus about basic astronomy topics 鈥� topics the students in the intro class themselves only just learned.

The students each must sign up for at least two hours of teaching in collaboration with a community partner as well.

Through these quarter-long projects, Rodr铆guez Hidalgo, assistant professor in the School of STEM, employs a model for teaching often referred to as 鈥渓earning by teaching.鈥� The鈥痬ethod involves students first learning to gain a comprehensive understanding of a topic and then teaching that same topic to peers or others through a presentation or similar project that can deepen their learning even further.

Tackling even hard topics

Rodr铆guez Hidalgo first came across this teaching method while working as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Toronto. When she attended a teaching and learning symposium at York University, she heard about dance students going into middle schools in the area at the end of their class to instruct kids on the same moves they had just learned.

鈥淚 thought it was a great idea, but several faculty members told me it would be an impossible endeavor in astronomy classes,鈥� she said.

Undeterred, she pursued the idea and, through the university鈥檚 Centre for Community Partnerships, connected with program managers at鈥痑fter-school programs in low-income areas around Toronto.

鈥淭he rest is history,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have been doing this since then and been involved with every service-learning and community-engagement center at every university I have been to. I love it.鈥�

Practicing makes perfect

At the beginning of the quarter, Rodr铆guez Hidalgo鈥檚 students 鈥� most in their first year of college 鈥� learn about a wide range of astronomy basics. They are then invited to choose a topic previously talked about in class for their own presentations. They鈥檙e also told to choose a second topic outside of class to research on their own and incorporate it into a supplementary presentation.

鈥淎t the beginning, they are shocked and doubtful that they will be able to teach astronomy after learning it for only one month,鈥� she said. 鈥淏y the end, it builds up their confidence in public speaking and delivery of knowledge, as they themselves tell me in the post-action reflections we ask them to complete.鈥�

Before presenting to the community, the students have multiple opportunities to present in class and to others outside the class to help learn the material through oral repetition.

鈥淐reating these projects and having to present them over and over really solidifies all the information,鈥� said student Liliana Flores 鈥淥ne of our professor鈥檚 key tips is to go around explaining to everyone everything we learn. So, I鈥檒l walk around at home and tell my mom 鈥楾his is what I鈥檝e learned, let me tell you all about it.鈥�

鈥淚n doing that, we鈥檝e really got this down pat.鈥�

Engaging with the community

Students also have shared ownership in鈥痵electing and working with community partners to arrange educational events. This year鈥檚 class presented at one of three venues: Skyview Middle School, Franklin High School and a library in the City of Bothell.

The students who presented at the library gave a preview presentation to the staff there who provided feedback, including ways the students could adapt their presentation for younger library visitors. About 45 people, including young children and their parents, joined in the event on Saturday, June 3.

鈥淚t was nice to be able to offer an interactive STEM program for families on Saturday 鈥� and we were able to introduce the public library to the 56吃瓜网 Bothell students. Many of them said they hadn鈥檛 been here before and really liked the space,鈥� said Katie Boyes, librarian and information services manager. 鈥淲e enjoyed the partnership.鈥�

At Skyview Middle School, the 56吃瓜网 Bothell students attended two after-school programs. The school provided support by encouraging the middle school students to sign up for the presentations. In total, more than 25 signed up to learn about astronomy during their own time after school.

One of Rodr铆guez Hidalgo鈥檚 students who graduated from Franklin High School arranged the presentation there, partnering with his former science teacher and connecting with students through the school鈥檚 science club.

As Rodr铆guez Hidalgo prepared her students to give their own presentations, she not only taught them about astronomy but also gave them important tips on how to teach and present to different audiences.

Shaping young minds

鈥淲e started out with the young kids in mind,鈥� said student Gregory Palmer, 鈥渟o that鈥檚 what we shaped our presentation around.鈥�

Students noted that one of the more challenging topics to present was the Big Freeze, a theory on how the universe will die. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little hard talking to them about how our universe will end. Their eyes will just get really big, and they鈥檙e kind of shocked,鈥� said student Angela Duarte Valencia. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 so cute listening to them just ask questions and be interested in this stuff.鈥�

56吃瓜网 Bothell Student Gowiria Yousif said that asking the younger students questions to encourage them to think about the information and try to find the answer is instrumental to teaching children. Many of the presentations incorporated interactive components and opportunities to earn small prizes.

鈥淚 liked teaching to different people and different age groups,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淎t Astronomy Day, we鈥痶aught college students 鈥� people our own age 鈥斺€痑nd at the Bothell Library we taught mostly younger kids. It鈥檚 just very different but also a cool difference to see.鈥�

The students from Rodr铆guez Hidalgo鈥檚 intro course also appreciated the collaborative nature of teaching as parents eagerly jumped in to help their children grasp what was being presented, said student Aidan Riffle. And oftentimes, younger space enthusiasts knew more about a certain topic than their parents.

A transformative experience

This kind of community-based learning is a passion for Rodr铆guez Hidalgo and one of the reasons she moved from California to join the 56吃瓜网 Bothell faculty.

鈥淚t involves a large amount of effort on many fronts,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut it is completely transformative and removes the ivory tower concept that universities typically portray in our society.鈥�

Over the many years she has used the model of learning through teaching, Rodr铆guez Hidalgo said she鈥檚 seen her students really benefit. In their interactions with younger audiences in the community, for example, her students are surprised to find themselves as role models for younger people.

She recalls one student from her time in Toronto who shared an experience in her post-action reflection about teaching moon phases to a young girl. When the child asked if a woman had walked on the moon, the college student looked it up and told her that, no, there have not been any female astronauts on the moon. The young girl then declared that she would become the first.

鈥淢y student wrote that the moment changed the way she saw the power of education 鈥� and the influence a student like her could have in her community,鈥� Rodr铆guez Hidalgo said. 鈥淵ou never know the seeds you might be planting when you do these activities.鈥�

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This year鈥檚 symposium hosted presentations by undergraduates from across the three 56吃瓜网 campuses. The 56吃瓜网 Bothell students presented 20 different research projects and topics, ranging from 鈥淣ostalgic Analysis of Tweets During Crisis Events鈥� to 鈥淢otivation in Non-Profit Organization Workers.鈥�

The symposium featured research across a wide array of academic disciplines 鈥� from business to STEM 鈥� with the projects covering data and information from as far away as black holes in other galaxies to as close as the 56吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚 campus wetland.

In opening remarks for the symposium, Ed Taylor, 56吃瓜网鈥檚 vice provost and dean of undergraduate affairs, also recognized the faculty support that makes this depth and breadth of student research possible. He then announced and congratulated seven recipients of the聽聽鈥� including Dr. Paola Rodr铆guez Hidalgo,鈥痑n assistant professor in 56吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚聽School of STEM.

Supporting their students

Students presenting in the symposium each year can nominate mentors who have had a profound impact on their education and research. A small committee of faculty and staff then reviews the nominations to select the award recipients.

鈥淚t was one of the most beautiful awards,鈥� Rodr铆guez Hidalgo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice being recognized by the University, but it鈥檚 also thanks to my students 鈥� and that鈥檚 just so beautiful.鈥�

She was nominated by two students from her quasar research group, Easton Robert Pierce and Alex Vong.

鈥淧aola has been an amazing mentor. She has consistently pushed me to go beyond and motivated me to continue even when I鈥檝e hit a wall,鈥� said Pierce in his nomination for Rodr铆guez Hidalgo.

鈥淏etween her meetings, giving talks and writing papers, I鈥檓 not sure where she finds the time for it all,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he truly deserves to be recognized for all the hard work she puts into not only teaching classes but also mentoring students and leading the quasar research group.鈥�

Understanding stars in the universe

Pierce is a senior majoring in physics at 56吃瓜网 Bothell. He first developed a love of astronomy when his parents bought him a starter telescope when he was nine years old. He is now a NASA Space Grant scholar.

鈥淲hat drew me to astronomy is the pure absurdity of the scale and energies of the objects in which we study,鈥� he said.

At this year鈥檚 symposium, Pierce presented鈥€溾€� Quasars are a phenomenon where gas and dust from extremely luminous galactic cores fall into a supermassive black hole. This can sometimes produce winds known as outflows. Whether these outflows affect the evolution of their host galaxies remains unknown and continues to be a point of interest in ongoing research.

鈥淏ecause of the large energies found in extremely high velocity outflows, we believe they may play a large role in the evolution of galaxies, specifically on their ability to form stars,鈥� Pierce said.

Looking at ancient fires and fuels

In her presentation, 鈥溾€� Haley Brooks (Conservation & Restoration Science 鈥�23)鈥痵ampled 34 modern plant species from 56吃瓜网 Herbarium collections to study charcoal morphometry 鈥斺€痶he measurement of sedimentary charcoal particle shape attributes 鈥斺€痑fter burning the samples at 500 degrees Celsius.

Brooks investigated if charcoal aspect ratio is a valid method for determining fuel type. If this method can be used when looking at modern-day plants, she noted, it may provide important insights into ancient fire regimes. Her mentors for this research were both in the 56吃瓜网鈥檚 Department of Biology on the Seattle campus: Dr. Caroline Str枚mberg, professor; and Dr. Christopher Schiller, postdoctoral scholar.

With the rapidly changing climate, Brooks said it鈥檚 become a priority to gain a better understanding of how the changes will affect plant life to strategize conservation practices for the near future. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a climate crisis right now where we鈥檝e never been in this climate zone, but the world has previously.

鈥淪o if we鈥檙e able to look at the climate zones of ancient fires and look at what burned at that time,鈥� she said, 鈥渨e can put that into our conservation practices and have retroactive success in protecting those plant species that are used for fuel 鈥� before it happens.鈥�

Brooks noted in her presentation that continued research into the verification of charcoal morphometry as a means to verify fuel type could also help increase confidence in paleo reconstructions of ancient fuel types.

Examining learning during the pandemic

In his project, 鈥溾€� Eric Yoon Jae Shin analyzed student learning in a statistics course in both a pre-pandemic and pandemic setting. Dr. Caleb Trujillo, assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, oversaw this research as Shin鈥檚 mentor.

鈥淭he main thing we wanted to find out was whether or not the COVID-19 disruptions affected students learning,鈥� Shin said, a senior majoring Mathematical Thinking & Visualization.

Searching for answers, he looked to concept models 鈥� hand drawn models students use to write statistics concepts 鈥� to measure student learning. He analyzed 180 models from two different experiences and quarters: an in-person learning environment in a pre-pandemic quarter and an online learning environment during the pandemic.

鈥淭he key finding that we made was that students in the online quarter were adding concepts to their models at a lower rate than students in the previous quarter, which was before the coronavirus pandemic,鈥� Shin said. 鈥淲e came to the conclusion that the COVID-19 disruption had a major impact on a student鈥檚 learning in the statistics course.鈥�

What makes this kind of research so important, Shin noted, is that it can be used by professors to better understand and assist college students as they learn in different spaces.

Discovering the possibilities

The presentations in this year鈥檚 symposium represent the broad range of research, scholarship and creative practice projects that students can undertake during their undergraduate studies.

Here is a small sampling of additional oral, poster and visual arts presentations 56吃瓜网 Bothell students gave at this year鈥檚 symposium:

• 鈥淔airness and Biases in Mobility Models鈥�
  • presented by Daniel Wang, a senior in Computer Science & Software Engineering; mentored by Dr. Afra Mashhadi, assistant professor, School of STEM
• 鈥淢issing Maps: Identifying Remote Communities Using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning鈥�
  • presented by Inkar Kapen, a senior in Computer Science & Software Engineering and a Mary Gates Scholar; mentored by Dr. Afra Mashhadi, assistant professor, School of STEM
• 鈥淭he Effect of Advanced Age and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology on Levels of the Tight Junction Protein, Occludin, in the Brain Microvasculature鈥�
  • presented by Ali Mirzazadeh, a senior in Biology; mentored by Dr. May Reed, associate professor in the 56吃瓜网鈥檚 Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

A complete list of the research projects presented by 56吃瓜网 Bothell students this year can be found on the .

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In an interview with Pat Kiernan Thursday night, University of Washington professor Dan Jaffe said smoke from the fires isn鈥檛 rising up, like with a campfire, due to the number of fires that are currently burning in Canada.

鈥淸With] small fires, the smoke tends not to rise as much,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a lot of small fires that really never got lifted very high. And so, it’s just being pushed down with the low-level winds down towards the eastern U.S.鈥�

He emphasized that the smoke will linger at low levels, and going outside without a high-quality mask is not recommended.

 鈥淚f I’m going to be outside for an hour, I am absolutely wearing a mask under these conditions 鈥� and a good mask: an N95 or KN95,鈥� Jaffe said.

However, Jaffe stressed that that does not mean that the air inside is safe either, and provided a useful guide on how to create a simple air purifying system with a box fan and a filter.

Jaffe also noted it may take 鈥渁 day or two鈥� for the smoke to clear our area.

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CBIT, envisioned by physical sciences professors Hyung Kim and Lori Robins with Leslie Cornick, Dean of the School of STEM, is a collaborative partnership including support from computing & software systems faculty Mark Kochanski and David Socha, along with Surya Pathak from the School of Business. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray were instrumental in ensuring the funding of this initiative. Cantwell said, “The Puget Sound region is a national hub for biotech research and development…56吃瓜网 Bothell’s new Center of Biotech Training and Innovation will provide high-tech training for tomorrow’s biotech workers and help develop the next biotech breakthroughs.” (“”)

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The Earth System Science degree program is only two years old, and yet it already has made a difference in students鈥� lives, giving one former business major, for example, 鈥減ermission鈥� to pursue her passion. Read the story in 56吃瓜网 Bothell news.

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Dr. Jessica Hernandez broadens the understanding of climate change by incorporating Indigenous perspectives into a course historically focused on Western science. 鈥淲hen we come together it makes the knowledge stronger.鈥澛�Read the story in 56吃瓜网 Bothell news.

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This summer, students from 56吃瓜网 Bothell and around the country participated in the first year of 56吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚 Research Experience for Undergraduates in physics, gaining invaluable perspective on careers paths in the process. Read the story in 56吃瓜网 Bothell news.

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