Sitting at 13,796 feet above sea level is the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii, where physics major Allison Blum visited and collected data during her summer research experience with the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
“I have these long-standing unanswered questions that motivate me to pursue this.’”
Allison Blum
“I have these long-standing unanswered questions that motivate me to pursue this,” Blum said. “You’re at the level where researchers might need oxygen tanks. We were only allowed to be up there for a few hours because anything more is taxing on your body.”
When Blum approached physics professor Ka-Wah Wong about summer research opportunities, she was eager to pursue something related to her passion — black holes. During her previous summer research, she worked with data from specific Hawaiian telescopes used by the IfA.
Allison Blum at the Mauna Kea Observatory.
“I researched a very rare class of sources that we see in the sky called Tidal disruption events,” Blum said. “When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, it gets ripped apart by it, which is one of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. We don’t know very much about them, so my mission was to understand more of what these events look like and what they can tell us about the evolution of the universe.”
According to Blum, there’s roughly 100 of these rare celestial tidal disruption events to date, making it a trending research topic in the field of astronomy.
Funded by NASA and the NSF, the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) IfA offers students with a passion for astronomy the chance to work directly with distinguished faculty. Over a 10-week period, students engage in research across a wide-range of topics in astrophysics.
“It was terrifying, but afterwards, I realized I was able to make sense of my research abilities. I deserved my place there among all the Ivy League students.”
Allison Blum
“Out of 555 applicants, only eight were accepted,” Blum said. “This was my top choice for research opportunities and I thought it would be surreal to actually see the observatories where I’ve analyzed data and taken past observations from.”
Blum quickly realized that the IfA’s expectations were high. Once accepted into the program on March 1, she was provided with a textbook, related data sources, and invited to a series of Zoom meetings with her designated faculty advisor, Benjamin Shappee.
“My first day there I had a meeting with my advisor and Shappee told me, ‘Are you ready? Take the marker and tell us everything you know.’” Blum said. “I stood up and for an hour, I drew and explained everything I knew on a white board in his office. It was terrifying, but afterwards, I realized I was able to make sense of my research abilities. I deserved my place there among all the Ivy League students.”
Alongside her research, Blum took the time to fully embrace the local culture and activities of the island. She volunteered alongside her peers planting native flowers and cooking for the local community. In addition, she encouraged her new friends to snorkel with sea turtles, cliff dive into the ocean, and skydive.
“Our backyard was this place that most people don’t get to experience in their entire lives,” Blum said. “I want to show other Brockport students that they can do this and there are a lot of possibilities out there.”