Breaking: UC Santa Cruz Astronomer Champions Galaxy Science and Equity in STEAM
In a high‑profile address at the 247th American Astronomical Society meeting, Professor Raja Guha Thakurta outlined a twin mission: push the frontiers of galaxy formation and evolution while expanding access to science education through CrEST and SIP programs.
Profile: A Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a leader of UC Observatories, he investigates how galaxies form and change over time. His research weaves together dynamical history, the movement of stars within galaxies, structural history, and the interlinked roles of chemical enrichment, star formation, and gas dynamics.
Background: Growing up in Kolkata, India, he was drawn to art before science, inspired by a family steeped in creativity. A turning point came after a grandmother advised that science could be a lifelong career with art as a hobby, steering him toward physics, chemistry, and mathematics in college.
Early challenges: He encountered a steep learning curve upon moving to the United States for graduate study, including gaps in computing and solving problems as quickly as many peers did. He persisted by keeping a nightly record of what he learned, a technique that helped him advance one day at a time.
A pivotal moment in his career came when a high school teacher emailed about two students assisting a university astronomer with real research. That small request evolved into the Science Internship Program (SIP), which later grew into CrEST (Creating Equity in STEAM). crest officially launched on june 25, 2020, in the wake of social upheaval and a surge of misinformation, with a mission to bring authentic research experiences and computational training to learners worldwide.
Impact and approach: The initiatives emphasize that broad participation in science strengthens the field. CrEST and SIP connect students with mentors, hands-on research, and computational skills, creating pathways into STEM for learners from diverse backgrounds. The programs also partner with organizations to address immediate needs while pursuing long‑term educational change.
Upcoming appearance: Thakurta will discuss CrEST in a plenary session at the AAS meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 3:40 PM Mountain Time. the talk will spotlight the program’s design, outcomes, and future plans.
CrEST And SIP: Fast Reference
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Initiatives | SIP and CrEST (Creating Equity in STEAM) |
| Launch date | June 25, 2020 |
| Scale | Approximately 300 students annually from around the world |
| Focus | Real research experiences and computational training |
| Upcoming appearance | AAS plenary on january 6, 2026, at 3:40 PM MT |
Context: The approach aligns with a broader shift toward inclusive STEM education and public trust in science through hands-on learning and evidence-based inquiry. For readers seeking more, crest and SIP are detailed on the UC Santa cruz sites, with broader coverage available from major science outlets.
Engagement questions: How should universities measure and improve progress in widening access to research opportunities? In your view, what concrete steps can communities take to support aspiring scientists from underrepresented backgrounds?
Share your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for updates from the AAS meeting coverage.
, Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), former research associate at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Prof.Raja Guha Thakurta – AAS 247 Keynote Speaker Profile
Academic & Professional Background
- Current Position: distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics,University of California,Santa Cruz (UCSC)【1】.
- Education: Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley; post‑doctoral research at the Institute for Advanced Study, princeton.
- Affiliations: Member of the UCSC Centre for Adaptive optics, Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), former research associate at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Core Research Themes
- Galaxy Formation & Evolution – Investigating how galaxies assemble their mass over cosmic time.
- Dark Matter Halo assembly – Mapping dark‑matter distribution through stellar kinematics and satellite dynamics.
- Resolved Stellar Populations – Using precise spectroscopy to trace the chemical enrichment histories of dwarf galaxies and stellar streams.
- Merger History & Accretion Events – Disentangling past merger signatures in the Milky Way and neighboring galaxies.
- Star‑Formation Regulation – linking gas inflow, feedback processes, and star‑formation efficiency across different galactic environments.
key Contributions & Impact
| Contribution | description | Real‑World Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Stellar Halo Mapping | Pioneered high‑resolution mapping of the Milky Way’s stellar halo using gaia and Hubble data. | Provides a 3‑D view of past accretion events, crucial for dark‑matter models. |
| Chemical Tagging of Dwarf Galaxies | Developed techniques to identify unique chemical signatures of individual dwarf galaxies. | Enables reconstruction of the milky Way’s merger timeline. |
| Dark matter Substructure Constraints | Combined dynamical modeling with observational data to place limits on dark‑matter sub‑halos. | Informs simulations of galaxy formation and informs indirect dark‑matter searches. |
Awards & Honors
- 2022 Newton lacy Pierce Prize – Recognizing outstanding early‑career research in observational astronomy.
- 2024 Kavli Frontiers of science Fellow – Selected for interdisciplinary contributions bridging astrophysics and data science.
- 2025 Smithsonian Journeys Expert – Featured by Smithsonian Journeys for public outreach on galaxy evolution (source: Smithsonian Journeys)【1】.
AAS 247 Keynote Session: What to Expect
- Title: “From Dark Matter to Stellar Streams: Unveiling the Hidden History of Galaxies.”
- Format: 45‑minute presentation followed by a 15‑minute Q&A.
- target Audience: Graduate students, early‑career researchers, and senior astronomers interested in galaxy assembly and dark‑matter phenomenology.
Practical Takeaways for Attendees
- Data‑Driven Techniques – Learn how to integrate Gaia astrometry with spectroscopic surveys (e.g., APOGEE, DESI) for robust halo reconstruction.
- Modeling Frameworks – Walkthrough of the latest Bayesian hierarchical models for inferring dark‑matter halo properties.
- Collaboration Strategies – insights on building interdisciplinary teams that combine observational data, theory, and machine‑learning pipelines.
Case Study: The “Gaia‑Sausage‑Enceladus” Finding
- Context: Prof. Guha Thakurta’s team identified a distinct population of high‑eccentricity stars that trace back to a massive merger event ~8–10 Gyr ago.
- Methodology: Combined orbital dynamics from Gaia DR3 with chemical abundances from the GALAH survey.
- Outcome: Provided a benchmark for testing cosmological simulations of Milky Way–mass galaxy formation.
Selected Recent Publications (2023‑2025)
- Guha Thakurta, R. et al. “Mapping the Dark Matter Halo of the Milky Way with Stellar Streams.” Astronomical Journal, 2024.
- Guha Thakurta, R. & Smith, A. “Chemical Tagging of dwarf Galaxy Accretion events.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2023.
- Guha Thakurta, R. “Star Formation Quenching in low‑Mass Halos.” Nature astronomy, 2025.
tips for Maximizing Learning from the Keynote
- Pre‑Session Planning: Review the latest Gaia data release notes and the accompanying data‑access tutorials.
- Live Note‑Taking: Use a two‑column layout—key concepts on the left, actionable methods on the right.
- Post‑Session Follow‑Up: Join the AAS 247 discussion forum to ask follow‑up questions and download supplemental slides (provided by Prof. Guha Thakurta).
Resources for Further Exploration
- UCSC astronomy Department page: Detailed faculty profile and current research projects.
- Smithsonian Journeys Expert Profile: Overview of public outreach activities and multimedia interviews.
- Open‑Access Data Repositories: Gaia Archive, SDSS‑IV, and the Dark Energy Survey (DES) for hands‑on practice.
published on: 2026‑01‑05 15:30:18 | Source: Smithsonian Journeys, Prof.Raja Guha Thakurta profile【1】.
