New College Grad 学生 Earns Prestigious International Quad Fellowship

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- 盖尔·盖纳普著

四方奖学金 supports Master’s and Ph.D. 理科学生, 技术, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – 25 from each of the four countries. 这是首个此类奖学金项目,旨在建立下一代科学家和技术人员之间的联系.

约书亚获得了统计学和应用数学学士学位, and is now enrolled in New College’s Applied 数据科学 graduate program, with his main 研究 interest in astrostatistics, a crossover between astrophysics and statistics.

每位Quad Fellow将获得50,000美元的一次性奖励,外加25,000美元的额外支持. This can be used for tuition, 研究, 费用, 书, 食宿, and other related academic expenses. 除了, 所有被选中的100名学生将继续在美国学习,并参加国际STEM项目 residential program in Melbourne, Australia in the summer of 2023.

“这些学生中的每一位都展现了他们推进我们四个民主国家之间创新和合作的承诺,以及为印度-太平洋地区和世界建设更美好明天的热情,” said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in announcing the awards.

当地种植的

Joshua is a native Floridian, was born and raised in the 萨拉索塔-Bradenton area, and attended Bradenton Christian School. “我来自一个中下层家庭,为了让我接受私立教育,我牺牲了很多. 我也是第一代大学生,为了完成学业而努力工作.  I selected New College, where I could get a high-quality, affordable education and still be close to home,他说.

“十几岁的时候,我开始对存在主义问题和科普感兴趣. 我记得我看着 宇宙 with astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson in ninth or tenth grade, and that sparked my interest in astronomy. 从来没有, 虽然, 在我来到新博网页之前,我有没有想过有一天我会从事天文学和统计学的研究,约书亚说.

Before the Quad Fellowship: New College 生活

“在新博网页的第一年,我跌跌撞撞地想弄清楚自己想学什么. I started off with an interest in economics, but then I started taking some statistics and data science courses, and everything started to change,他说.

在2020年秋天,乔希被选为巴兰西克学者,获得奖学金 funded by a grant from the Charles and Margery Barancik 基金会 为萨拉索塔-海牛地区有经济需要的学生提供支持. 这不仅帮他支付了学费,还帮他支付了会议演讲的相关费用.

Joshua’s statistics professor, undergraduate advisor, 论文导师,现为应用数据科学研究生项目临时主任. Bernhard Klingenberg.

“I got to know Josh about 3 ½ years ago, when he took his first course with me,克林根伯格说, who recommended Joshua for a summer internship at the 哈佛大学 & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. “It was an amazing opportunity,” 克林根贝格说. “当他第一次和我一起学习时,他甚至没有想过要成为一名统计学家. 他对经济学更感兴趣,正在考虑进入大型金融行业——也许会在华尔街找到一份工作. He came back from the 哈佛大学 internship infected with the 研究 bug, and using statistics as the basis for his 研究.”

From 哈佛大学 to NASA

“Joshua has tremendous initiative and drive, and has always found exciting opportunities for himself,” Dr. 克林根贝格说.

“In my second year, I began looking for an internship,约书亚说. “Dr. Klingenberg told me about REUs (研究 experiences for undergraduates). I looked around and I came across a program at the 哈佛大学 & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. I reached out to the program coordinator, Dr. Katharine Reeves, who encouraged me to apply. A few months later, I opened up my email and saw I had been accepted. That was the moment that changed my life,他说. 

This was during the first year of Covid, so it was offered online. 乔舒亚被指派了几个导师,并被安排在一个统计上很重的项目上——研究太阳耀斑. “It was a really great experience. I learned about 研究, and how academia works,约书亚说. “从那个夏天开始,我和同一个研究小组一起工作了两年半. 从我们刚开始的时候开始,这个项目已经发展和改变了很多. We are now working on papers that will be submitted to journals, and I continue to work at the Center for Astrophysics part-time.”

去年夏天,约书亚参加了天体物理中心的一个会议. 他得以参观哈佛新博网址是多少和天体物理中心,并见到了他一直在网上工作的导师和同事. “This experience is what got me into the field of astrostatistics, and is also where the idea for my thesis was born,约书亚说.

他的论文题目是 太阳耀斑发生及其能量分布的统计模型 turned into a year-long project analyzing solar flares, 然后利用统计模型来更好地理解收集到的数据. 

The summer of 2021 Joshua applied for more internships. NASA hired Joshua as a STEM intern with the Hubble Communications Team. “太棒了。. 他们有所有哈勃外展账户的社交媒体数据——推特, Instagram, 脸谱网 and others – for the past several years, and I analyzed that data,约书亚解释道. “I worked with my mentor, 吉姆Jeletic, 谁是哈勃太空望远镜任务的副项目经理. 他是一位很棒的导师,这是一次无价的实习,”约书亚说.

Working with the Stars 

One of Joshua’s favorite sayings is, “You don’t know if you don’t ask.约书亚告诉吉姆,他对STEM研究很感兴趣,并问他是否认识NASA戈达德的任何人,谁可能有他可以参与的项目. “He connected me with Dr. 乔亚·劳和博士. 肯尼斯·卡彭特.

“我最终参与了一个研究低温进化恒星色球的项目.” 我一直在用哈勃太空望远镜的数据观察这些恒星的外层大气. 从2021年秋季到2022年春季,我在NASA戈达德的系外行星和恒星天体物理实验室兼职. In the summer of 2022, I continued that work on stellar atmospheres with NASA Goddard, and was able to visit the center and work there for a bit. I am currently finishing up my 研究 with Dr. 劳和博士. Carpenter, and writing a paper on my 研究.

“I learned so much about STEM 研究, 公众宣传和科学传播——以及科学和研究对社会的影响,约书亚说 of his internships. 

四方奖学金

与此同时, 去年春末, a new fellowship crossed the desk of Duane Smith, who works in the New College office of Career Engagement and Opportunity.

史密斯说:“我是在和乔希一起处理其他申请时认识他的. “So, when I learned about the Quad Fellowship, 而四方奖学金所寻找的——那些将利用科学对社会产生积极影响的人——我把这些信息发给了他, thinking that it would be a good fit.”

Smith adds that the monetary award is there to support their education, 但该奖学金旨在促进那些将成为各自学科下一代领导者的人之间的互动. “这也将给这些学生一个国际视野,这对他们在21世纪的成功至关重要st 世纪的科技. 建立这些联系将影响约书亚的整个职业生涯,”史密斯说.

“Joshua is certainly well-deserving of this fellowship,” Smith added. “当我们进入这个享有盛誉的奖项时,竞争非常激烈. I am just really happy for him.”

约书亚说:“这种团契可以改变我的生活和事业。. “As a first-generation student from a relatively small town, who has never been out of the country before, the Quad Fellowship presents a tremendous opportunity. 接触这些不同的文化将改变我个人的生活. 在职业上,它无疑会改变我的人生轨迹,就像REU一样.

“I may not yet know all the ways in which things will change. I’ll know that as I move through the program. But I do know it is going to change my life.”

约书亚将在2023年夏末获得硕士学位. He has applied to Ph.D. programs around the country, including Carnegie Mellon and 哈佛大学.

当被问及约书亚的未来时,克林根伯格说:“我认为约书亚会得到一个非常好的博士学位.D. program in statistics. I certainly see him becoming an active contributor to our sciences, answering important questions in whatever area he chooses. 他可能会继续研究天体物理学,也可能会随着他继续学业而改变.”

Klingenberg added that Joshua is a phenomenal networker. “It is amazing how he brings people together. 例如, Joshua co-founded an astronomy club here at the college, and organized star-watching events on our bayfront. He is very gifted at networking, 当然,他在哈佛大学、美国国家航空航天局和Quad奖学金建立的关系将为他未来打开大门.”

Gayle Guynup is a contributor to the 书院最新消息.