Andie Sheehan has been fascinated by both physics and astronomy for as long as she can remember, but never imagined this passion was something she could pursue academically.
That was until she was in a second year Artsci Physics (ARTSSCI 2D06) course taught by Alan Chen, who spoke with the students about his research on experimental nuclear astrophysics.
“The idea of stars being the driving force behind element synthesis was just so interesting to me. I was especially compelled by the fact that this was something we could measure experimentally,” Sheehan says.
“It stuck with me so strongly, in fact, that when it was time to reach out to potential thesis supervisors at the end of my third year, all I wanted was to ask if there was a way to involve myself in Dr. Chen’s research.”
Today, Sheehan is in her fourth year of the Arts & Science Program and is working as a member of Chen’s research group for her Arts & Science thesis.
Sheehan’s project investigates a nuclear reaction important to our understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis, the process by which nearly all of the chemical elements are created in stars.
Researchers like Chen are interested in learning more about this process as it not only helps answer important astrophysical questions but also provides insight into the creation of all the matter we see on earth.
Sheehan has been working on a specific reaction important to the creation of magnesium, which Chen’s research group plans to measure experimentally in the near future at TRIUMF – Canada’s nuclear accelerator facility – using an apparatus called DRAGON (Detector of Recoils and Gammas of Nuclear Reactions).
To prepare for the DRAGON measurement, Sheehan says her thesis work is performing simulations to better understand some key parameters related to a specific nuclear reaction.
This information will be extremely important for planning the DRAGON experiment and interpreting that experimental data.
Sheehan spent the first month or so of her thesis work to bring her understanding of nuclear astrophysics up to par with the requirements of the project, with Chen’s support.
“Throughout our time working together, Dr. Chen has done nothing but make me feel as though he genuinely wants me to succeed—both within my project and beyond.”
Chen also invited Sheehan to visit TRIUMF over the winter break. “It was an incredible opportunity to familiarize myself with the equipment I had been working on remotely for months,” says Sheehan.
A photo of the Dragon experimental setup taken by Sheehan during her visit to TRIUMF.
Visiting TRIUMF was a true highlight of her undergraduate experience, and getting to participate in an experiment was a surreal experience.
“It’s one thing to understand a piece of equipment through diagrams and technical explanations, but it’s another entirely to be in the room and have experts willing to talk to me and explain the apparatus,” says Sheehan. “Getting to visit and ask questions definitely helped me gain a better understanding of my work and its applications.”
Additionally, there were researchers from all over the world to help with that particular DRAGON experiment and share insights into what a path forward in this field might look like for Sheehan. “Having those conversations and receiving that advice was really invaluable.”
With Chen’s encouragement, Sheehan was invited to present her work virtually at the Canadian Conference for Undergraduate Women & Gender Minorities in Physics (CCUW*iP) held at the University of British Columbia at the end of January.
“Attending and presenting at the conference was a really rewarding experience,” Sheehan says. “It was a great opportunity to connect with other students like myself and also to learn more about the many different areas of study physics has to offer.”
Sheehan left the conference with a third-place prize for best online oral presentation and feeling fortunate to learn from and alongside other women speakers, not only about their research, but also about how they found themselves pursuing physics and navigating the male-dominated field.
Sheehan will present her thesis project to the Artsci community on Monday March 16 at 12:30 p.m. in LRW 3038.