Tell me a little about yourself.
I am a rising Senior at Columbia University in NYC (I love NYC!) and originally from Massachusetts. I went to college with the intention of studying astrophysics but I really struggled with the large, impersonal intro physics courses at first. Last summer I was supposed to stay in the city to do research, but the program got cancelled. Instead I coded an entire summer from my parent’s basement (the only place with A/C!) - that really scarred my first research experience, unfortunately. But so far this summer has been a totally new experience and I’m really enjoying it. Living with friends in the city instead of at home has helped to change my expectations and I also feeling lucky that I have an opportunity to do research despite the pandemic. My perspective has really changed from last year.
Beyond astronomy, I have a few really obscure hobbies. First, I am in a Scottish fiddle band (we’ve recorded two albums!). I also speak Chinese and sometimes do subtitles and translation. The three things in life I care most about are astro, languages, and music. In terms of personal development, I believe it is important to have hobbies not related to work. My ultimate goal is to work in a country that doesn’t speak English and be able to speak the language fluently.
How did you get interested in astronomy?
In elementary school, I was always the “math kid” and I have also always really liked space. I don’t ever remember the conscious decision to study astrophysics in college, it just made sense. My first direct experience with physics was in high school. This was also one of the first courses to really challenge me, which I found equally rewarding.
What is your favorite part about DAWN?
I really like how the people at DAWN seem to know what everyone else is up to. The research community seems to be really close knit. I haven’t yet had a chance to experience what makes DAWN specifically “DAWN” or feel the character of the place yet but I am looking forward to getting to the know the center better moving forward.
What motivated you to apply to an international REU?
I would like to move out of the US and attend graduate school abroad. It was natural to build connections and check out the character of research at institutes outside of the US. My mentor this summer at DAWN did her undergraduate and masters in Italy and then a PhD in Munich, Germany. This program gives me a rare opportunity to learn more about graduate school abroad, an experience that I wouldn’t get if I attended a US-based summer research program.
How has the pandemic impacted your life?
On a personal level, I haven’t experienced a lot of loss and so I feel lucky. But it has changed the way I think about what I want out of my own future. I had spent my entire time in secondary school wanting to get out of Massachusetts. I have truly loved living in the city and so when I got sent home due to the pandemic I felt directionless. It was hard to find motivation to do research, and research itself also felt out of reach at that point. Many of my close friends went home and I still haven’t seen them. I experienced a lot of isolation and was forced to live somewhere I didn’t want to be - that was hard. And online classes were terrible. The worst thing ever. Online classes in the pandemic have fundamentally changed how I go about doing school work. I am more focused on learning material I care about and not destroying myself to finish everything. It has helped change my perspective about what really matters.
If you could have any superpower what would it be?
Teleportation - I want to go everywhere and I don’t like long plane rides. I would go to Brazil first. I have to travel to Boston every other weekend for my band and it is a lot of time and expensive. Teleportation would really help!
Tell me about your summer research project.
For my summer research project, I am looking at two different galaxy kinematic fitting models that are similar but one uses Markov chain Monte Carlo methods while the other does not. I am fitting data cubes to models of the galaxies — so far I’ve created 24 different models with different parameters! I am comparing the two different model packages and the goal is to apply it to real data eventually.
Where is the first place you want to visit when we finally get you to Copenhagen?
I’ve already done the tourist stuff in a previous visit to Copenhagen, so what I really want to see is the Cosmic Dawn Center itself to build a more personal connection to the city. And then we can all go out together to an open air cafe. My absolute favorite thing about European cities is the outdoor dining. Since Covid, we know have this all over NYC which has been a nice silver lining.
Contact Julia at julia.homa@columbia.edu or follow her on twitter @julia_homa
