AoT Cradle of Astronauts: JWST’s First Light

Astronomy on Tap is a series of events aimed at bringing astronomy and space science to the public, with informal talks by professional scientists, trivia, and beer!

This month we are focusing on the James Webb Space Telescope!
Bhagya Subrayan is a Physics and Astronomy PhD candidate at Purdue, who will be working with the first data from the Webb Telescope, processing and analyzing it to understand the aftermath of a supernova explosion in a supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A. Bhagya is excited to learn about discoveries that JWST will unravel about our Universe!

Kate Gasaway is a PhD candidate in the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue University and her studies focus on micropropulsion for small satellites. Kate has always loved everything about science, space, and NASA, so rocket science seemed like the right field! During an internship at Northrop Grumman in 2016, she had the amazing opportunity to work on the James Webb Space Telescope project, helping perform structural tests on the sunshield beams and developing a sensor platform to help quantify the daily and seismic vibrations felt by the JWST in California.