Quad奖学金支持硕士和博士学位.D. 理科学生, 技术, 工程和数学(STEM)——四个国家各25人. This first-of-its-kind scholarship program is designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists.
Joshua earned his bachelor’s degree in statistics and applied mathematics, 现在就读于新博网页 应用数据科学研究生课程, 他的主要研究兴趣是天文统计学, 天体物理学和统计学的交叉.
Each Quad Fellow will receive a one-time award of $50,000, plus $25,000 in additional support. 这可以用来交学费, 研究, 费用, 书, 食宿, 以及其他相关的学术费用. 除了, all 100 of those chosen will continue their studies in the United States and will participate in an international STEM 2023年夏天在澳大利亚墨尔本的住宅项目.
“Each of these students has demonstrated their commitment to advancing innovation and collaboration among our four great democracies and an enthusiasm for building a better tomorrow for the Indo-Pacific and the world,国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文说, 在宣布奖项时.
当地种植的
约书亚是土生土长的佛罗里达人, 是在萨拉索塔-布雷登顿地区出生长大的吗, 就读于布雷登顿基督教学校. “I come from a lower-middle-class family that really sacrificed a lot so I could have a private education. I am also a first-generation college student, and worked to put myself through school. 我选择了新博网页, 在哪里可以买到高质量的, 既能负担得起教育，又离家近,他说.
“As a teenager, I became interested in very existential questions and popular science. 我记得我看着 宇宙 和天体物理学家尼尔·德格拉斯·泰森在九年级或十年级, 这激发了我对天文学的兴趣. 从来没有, 虽然, did I envision that I would one day be doing 研究 in astronomy and statistics until I came to New College,约书亚说.
在四方奖学金之前:新的大学生活
“My first year at New College I stumbled around, trying to figure out what I wanted to study. 我一开始对经济学感兴趣, 但后来我开始学习一些统计学和数据科学的课程, 一切都开始改变,他说.
In the fall of 2020, Josh was selected as a Barancik Scholar, receiving a scholarship 由查尔斯和玛杰里·巴兰西克基金会资助 that provides support for students from the 萨拉索塔-Manatee area with financial need. Not only did it help with his tuition, but also expenses related to his conference presentations.
约书亚的统计学教授, 本科生导师, thesis supervisor and now interim director of the 应用数据科学研究生课程 is Dr. Bernhard克林根贝格.
“我大约在三年半前认识了乔希, 当他和我一起上第一道菜的时候,克林根伯格说, 是谁推荐约书亚去哈佛大学暑期实习的 & 史密森天体物理中心. “这是一个绝佳的机会，”克林根伯格说. “When he first studied with me, he had not even 虽然t about becoming a statistician. He was more interested in economics and was thinking of going into big finance – perhaps leading to a job on Wall Street. 他从哈佛实习回来后就染上了研究癖, 并将统计数据作为他研究的基础.”
从哈佛到NASA
“约书亚有巨大的主动性和动力, 他总能为自己找到令人兴奋的机会,” Dr. 克林根贝格说.
“在大二的时候，我开始寻找实习机会，”约书亚说. “Dr. Klingenberg给我讲了reu(本科生的研究经历). 我四处看了看，发现了一个项目 哈佛大学 & 史密森天体物理中心. 我联系了项目协调员. 凯瑟琳·里夫斯，是她鼓励我申请的. 几个月后，我打开电子邮件，发现自己被录取了. 那一刻改变了我的生活，”他说.
这是在新冠肺炎的第一年，所以它是在线提供的. Joshua was assigned several mentors and was put on a statistically heavy project – on solar flares. “这真的是一次很棒的经历. 我了解了研究，了解了学术界是如何运作的。”约书亚说. “Since that summer I have continued working with that same 研究 team for about 2 ½ years now. The project has grown and changed considerably from when we first started. 我们现在正在写论文，准备提交给期刊, 我继续在天体物理中心兼职工作.”
This past summer Joshua attended a conference at the Center for Astrophysics. He was able to visit the 哈佛大学 campus and the astrophysics center and got to meet the mentors and colleagues that he had been working with virtually. “这段经历让我进入了天体统计学领域, 这也是我论文的想法诞生的地方,约书亚说.
他的论文题目是 “Statistical Modeling of Solar Flare Occurrences and Their Energy Distributions” 变成了一个为期一年的分析太阳耀斑的项目, then utilizing statistical models to better understand the data that had been collected.
2021年夏天，约书亚申请了更多的实习机会. 美国宇航局聘请约书亚作为哈勃通信团队的STEM实习生. “太棒了。. They had social media data from all of the Hubble outreach accounts – 推特, Instagram, 脸谱网和其他公司——在过去的几年里, 我分析了这些数据,约书亚解释道. “我和我的导师一起工作, 吉姆Jeletic, 谁是哈勃太空望远镜任务的副项目经理. He was a wonderful mentor and it was an invaluable internship,约书亚说.
与星星一起工作
约书亚最喜欢的一句话是:“你不问就不知道。.” Joshua told Jim he was really interested in STEM 研究 and asked if he knew anyone at NASA Goddard who might have a project on which he could work. 他把我介绍给奥巴马医生. 乔亚·劳和博士. 肯尼斯·卡彭特.
“I ended up working on a project studying the chromospheres of cool, evolved stars.” I have been using Hubble Space Telescope data looking at the outer atmospheres of these stars. I worked part-time at the Exoplanets and StellarAstrophysics Lab at NASA Goddard from the fall of 2021 through spring of 2022. 2022年夏天, 我和NASA戈达德一起继续研究恒星大气, 并且能够参观中心并在那里工作一段时间. 我现在正在完成我和Dr. 劳和博士. 卡朋特，写我的研究论文.
“我学到了很多关于STEM研究的知识, public outreach and scientific communication – and the impact that science and 研究 can have on society,约书亚谈到他的实习经历时说.
四方奖学金
与此同时, 去年春末, 杜安·史密斯收到了一份新的奖学金, 谁在新博网页办公室工作 职业投入和机会.
“I knew Josh from working with him before on other applications,” Smith said. “So, 当我知道四方奖学金的时候, and what the Quad Fellowship was looking for – individuals who will use science to have a positive impact on society – I sent him the information, 觉得会很适合你.”
史密斯补充说，奖金是为了支持他们的教育, but the fellowship is designed to facilitate the interaction between those who will be the next generation of leaders in their particular disciplines. “It will also give these students an international perspective that will be crucial to their success in 21st 世纪的科技. Building these connections will impact the entirety of Joshua’s career,” Smith said.
“约书亚当然配得上这个团契，”史密斯补充说. “When we get up into this airy region of highly prestigious awards, it is intensely competitive. 我真的为他感到高兴.”
“This is the type of fellowship that can change my life and career,约书亚说. “作为一个来自相对较小城镇的第一代学生, 谁从来没有出过国, 四方奖学金提供了一个绝佳的机会. Being exposed to these different cultures will change my life on a personal level. And professionally, it will undoubtedly change the trajectory of my life, just like the REU did.
“我可能还不知道事情会以何种方式发生变化. 随着课程的深入，我就知道了. 但我知道这将改变我的生活.”
Joshua will be graduating with his master’s degree at the end of the summer of 2023. 他已申请攻读博士学位.D. 全国各地的项目，包括卡内基梅隆大学和哈佛大学.
Asked about Joshua’s future, 克林根贝格说, “I think Joshua will land in a very good Ph.D. 统计学专业. 我当然看到他成为我们科学的积极贡献者, 在他选择的任何领域回答重要问题. He may stay in astrophysics, or that may change as he continues his education.”
克林根伯格补充说，约书亚是一个非凡的人际关系网. “他把人们团结在一起的方式令人惊叹. 例如, 约书亚在大学里联合创办了一个天文俱乐部, 还在我们的海滨组织了观星活动. 他在交际方面很有天赋, and certainly the connections he has made at 哈佛大学 and at NASA and through the Quad Fellowship will open doors for him in the future.”
盖尔·盖纳普(盖尔Guynup)是《新新博网页》的撰稿人.