CAMPUS FEATURE
With its clear skies and diverse landscapes, Arizona offers a breathtaking canvas for stargazing. The state’s commitment to dark sky preservation is evident in its numerous designated areas, including the Prescott National Forest, which provides a stunning backdrop for celestial views.
STUDENTS GAZING AT THE STARS
A peer-mentoring astronomy group at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is giving students hands-on knowledge, propelling them into their future careers. Upperclassmen taught Katie Casciotti (’25) how to use the telescope observatory to conduct research on the ways stars are formed when she was just a freshman at Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus. Now, Casciotti, a rising senior majoring in Astronomy with minors in Computer Science and Mathematics, is passing her observatory expertise on to other students as the team lead of a peer-mentoring astronomy group called the Prescott Observing Team for the Analysis of Telescopically Obtained Spectra (POTATOS).
The brainchild of Dr. Noel Richardson, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy, the group works with spectroscopy to research “Be stars,” massive stars encircled by hot disks that emit hydrogen. Like a prism producing a rainbow, spectroscopy breaks light into a color spectrum. Variations in the spectrum provide information that aids our understanding of the universe’s origins. “The students are learning how to take data, and many of them are learning how to process the data to be useful for astronomical research, with some planning on using these observations as they start their own research or capstone projects,” Richardson said.
Casciotti, who aspires to work as a university researcher and professor, said her involvement in the POTATOS group has been invaluable. “It is a leadership and teaching role that I will hold for three years total,” she said. “Leading POTATOS has taught
me a lot about leadership, problem solving and how to conduct research.” Katie Casciotti ’25 Astronomy
25 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
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