Spotlight: What I Do As an Astrophysicist
If you zoom out far enough, then astrophysics is actually studying everything: planets, celestial bodies and all that stellar material where we came from. It is literally a broad subject that can include everything from quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity to exoplanets and black holes.
To learn a little about the day-to-day work of an astrophysicist, we spoke with Natalie Hinkel , Ph.D., a planetary astrophysicist at Arizona State University, who performs both observational and theoretical work, cataloging, among other things, the abundances of elements in stars. things.
First of all, tell us a little about your current job and how long you have been doing it.
To explain my current research, I must go back to the beginning. During the Big Bang, only hydrogen and helium were created. All other elements such as carbon, oxygen, iron – all the basic building blocks that we see in our own bodies, on the planet we live on, and most of what is included in the periodic table of elements – were created in the stars. … … These elements were formed in the first stars that lived and then died as a result of massive explosions, spreading new elements across different regions of the universe. The new elements then mixed with the original gas from the Big Bang and merged to form new stars.
What I do is look at the elements inside nearby stars using a technique called spectroscopy. I have compiled the largest catalog of elemental (or “elementary”) abundances in stars that are relatively close to the Sun. It is called the Hypatia Catalog, named after one of the earliest known female astronomers, and contains +50 elements for +4300 stars within 150 parsecs (pc) or 500 light years (years) of the Sun. Interestingly, stars and planets are created simultaneously from the same giant ball of gas. So I’m also trying to relate the elements within stars to the possible composition and structure of orbiting planets or “exoplanets.” I started doing this research as part of my PhD, which I received in 2012 from Arizona State University, so +6 years. Since then, I have been a “Postdoctoral Research Fellow,” meaning someone with an advanced degree, but mainly in research (rather than teaching) and learning new skills. Postdoctoral work is usually short-term, about 2–3 years, and you take 1–2 of these positions to explore other areas of research, establish connections with other researchers, and generally start your career. I was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology at San Francisco State University, and now I am back at ASU as a member of a large research network (call NExSS).
What prompted you to choose your career path?
As corny and corny as it sounds, and since I feel like most astronomers and astrophysicists have a similar story, astrophysics attracted me when I first saw Saturn through a telescope. I was visiting a family in Miami and my uncle had a small 3-4 “telescope that we set up outside. My cousin thought it looked like someone had pasted a sticker on the end of the telescope because you could see Saturn and its rings so clearly. But I was just stunned that there was so much detail to be seen in something so far away.
In high school, I was really into math. However, when I first started college, I couldn’t help but take an astronomy course because I wanted to know what it “really” looked like. I really enjoyed this lesson and kept taking more, which led me to take physics lessons. I joined the research team in my first year of studying pulsars, which was both exciting (since they are very distant and strange objects!) And also a little tedious (I had to learn how to program, data reduction, etc.). But I really enjoyed doing a lot of research and exploring new ideas.
How did you get a job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
I first got my bachelor’s degree in physics with a minor in mathematics (from Oberlin College). Then I went to graduate school for 6 years to get my doctorate. As I said, I’m at a stage in my career where the job is relatively temporary, but now I’m looking for something more permanent, whether it’s a university professor, a staff researcher at an observatory, or a data analyst at an observatory. institute. Now I have many options.
What are you doing besides what most people see? What do you actually spend most of your time on?
I spend most of my time programming. Most people assume that astronomers spend all their time looking at telescopes, but that is only a very small part of the work, if at all. I do some observations, but in the past few years I have only observed twice, for a total of about two weeks. Once you get the data, you have to shrink it (that is, remove the bad parts and process it to get real information), usually combine it with other data to see the big picture, and then write an article about your findings. Since each observation session usually provides data for several stars, you do not need to spend all your time at the telescope to have enough work.
Moreover, since the Hypatia Catalog – which is indeed the main focus of my work – is a gigantic database, it needs to be maintained and updated on a semi-regular basis. In fact, it was the creation of Hypatia that threw me into programming as it is not only relatively large but multidimensional as well. I needed to come up with a good way to piece it together through computation so that it could be flexible and relatively easy to update. It usually comes as a big surprise to people that most of my work involves a computer, not a telescope.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
In general, people think that I am studying aliens. I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked to “tell someone” about what is really happening with extraterrestrial life forms. Personally, people tend to associate me with Sheldon Cooper (from The Big Bang Theory ), which I find quite offensive. I know they are trying to find something they can relate to, but telling someone that they look like a character who is completely devoid of social skills, empathy, patience, or a sense of humor is not particularly enjoyable. I would like to think that I can be a scientist and still retain these qualities (or at least most of them).
What’s your average uptime?
Oddly enough, I don’t really have a “typical” one. One of the benefits of postdocs is that I don’t have to be in the office at a certain time or at a certain time. In fact, many times I work from home. As long as the work is done and the deadlines are met, everyone is happy. This can be very pleasant, for example, if I am tired and need to sleep. On the other hand, it’s a double-edged sword because I work a lot on weekends.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
First, as a student, I did a lot of research. I wanted to see what it was like and if it was something I would like to do as a career. I worked with a professor at Oberlin, and then did two summer internships as part of a research program for students at the National Science Foundation. All my research projects were very different (pulsars, measuring gas ratios in nearby galaxies and star formation) and gave me a good idea of not only science, but also the skills I needed.
The second thing that really helped me, especially as a woman in science, was that I learned to stop comparing myself (my assessments, my studies, my articles) with other people. When I realized that the scale of people’s success varies from person to person, it really changed my confidence and allowed me to focus on being a good scientist … which in turn makes me a successful scientist.
What are you doing differently from your colleagues or colleagues in the same profession? (Well, of course, every researcher has a different focus.)
Many people in this area are very limited in their chosen research topic. They know and do one thing, and they do it surprisingly well – they are certainly experts in their field. I take a much broader approach: I use stars, but also planets. I do observations, but also do theoretical work (with models and simulations). I do a lot of things and find a way to tie them all together. For me, the most intriguing thing is the general picture, the big patterns, that’s why I am trying to achieve this.
What’s the worst part of a job and how do you deal with it?
The worst part of the job, at least for now, is the timing of each contract. And since jobs tend to be university-based, there are limited opportunities in one city, so getting a new job usually means moving. I’ve moved four times in the same number of years, which is exhausting. The situation was aggravated by the fact that my husband was still at ASU while I moved, which meant that we traveled long distances for 2.5 years. He finishes his studies next year, so we are faced with another problem related to finding a job in the same city.
What is the most enjoyable part of the job?
I can do what I love. There is no doubt about that. I do research that interests me with people I like in my spare time. It gives you a real sense of drive, which I really appreciate.
How much money can you expect at your job? Or what is the average starting salary?
Salaries tend to vary from city to city, apparently due to changes in the cost of living, but overall, a postdoctoral fellow makes around $ 50k. From there, as you become a more “senior” scientist, you tend to make about $ 70,000 to $ 100,000, but rarely more. Being an astrophysicist usually means your life will be comfortable, but not extravagant.
One of the fun little things about academic life is that other professionals always tend to know roughly how much you make. In general, graduate students (in the natural sciences) earn about $ 20,000, postdocs – $ 50,000, and then this amount increases. Because of this innate knowledge, and because literally everyone has been there, there is a really good pay-it-retarded mentality. Namely, senior scholars often pay for food / drink to postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates at community events, postdocs pay for graduate students and undergraduates, etc. the difference.
Is there a way to “advance” in your field? Have you ever seen yourself working in the private sector?
As I said, the possibilities are pretty open for me right now. So while I can see myself as a professor or pure researcher, I can also imagine myself going into the private sector. I’m not really sure what I would do in the private sector as working for an internet company like Facebook or Google doesn’t sound very exciting, but given my skills, I believe I can find something that I like.
What do people underestimate / overestimate in what you do?
I think people tend to overestimate the extraterrestrial aspect of astronomy and, as a result, underestimate all the really interesting things in space. In the words of Douglas Adams, “The cosmos is great. Really big. You just won’t believe how huge it is, incredibly large. ” And on all this scale there are these strange, strange phenomena about which we know nothing or very little.
What advice would you give to those who want to become your profession?
Don’t be afraid of math. Try an internship to see if you enjoy science. Use your classmates as a valuable resource; In my opinion, working with other students is one of the best things you can do as you end up teaching each other. Build confidence in yourself.