Student Highlights: Kaitlyn Schultz
— MEET KAITLYN —
Class: Sophomore
Major: Physics, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kaitlyn Elayne Schultz is an undergraduate student at the University of Wyoming with a large passion for research and intellectual exploration. She was homeschooled by her brilliant mother, who pushed Kaitlyn to be her best, and then went into high school with all of the academic confidence in the world. Her mom didn’t simply teach Kaitlyn academic subjects, she taught her how to learn.
With a love of school and learning instilled in Kaitlyn so early, she quickly became fond of all things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and settled on a dual major of physics and astronomy & astrophysics, allowing her to push intellectual and scientific boundaries. Having grown up all over the country because her father served in the Marine Corps, she grew to love the unknown and uncomfortable. Studying the stars gave her an outlet to funnel all of her curiosity into, one that will challenge and push her even further.
— KAITLYN’S RESEARCH —
Kaitlyn was blessed to be given the chance to do undergraduate research analyzing stellar ages within bubbles in a nearby galaxy called “The Phantom Galaxy” (NGC 628). With the new images and data being released from the James Webb Space Telescope, many galaxies were shown to be porous, like Swiss cheese! These mysterious holes in galaxies, deemed “bubbles,” are created when stars die and explode as supernovae, blasting away the gas and dust of the galaxy, leaving only stars behind.
In order to better understand the way these bubbles affect star formation, Kaitlyn created code to identify stars from existing data, and observed how old they are to see the ways they might form within the bubble. As her research expands, she’ll include other previously researched data sets, such as star cluster data, to create a comprehensive star formation analysis in this galaxy. By exploring and researching these far-away topics, humanity will gain more knowledge on this world and galaxy that we live in, allowing us to better know how to take care of and protect it.
ABOUT STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Every year, we award fellowships to graduate and undergraduate students attending the University of Wyoming or Wyoming’s community colleges in order to provide them with funding to engage in real-world research opportunities. Occasionally, we feature one of these students and their research on this blog. For more information about our student fellowships, visit our College Programs page.