Laseter earns highly sought honors

Poplar Bluffian Isaac Laseter is collecting data while working with the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as accumulating honors for competitive work at his university.

Laseter is one of 60 people worldwide to be accepted to attend the IAA-CSIC Severo Ochoa Advanced School on Galaxy Evolution. It will be held May 23-27 in Spain.

Laseter is among 21 University of Wisconsin–Madison students selected by the National Science Foundation to receive a graduate research fellowship, a highly sought and competitive award.

“I’m excited to join because it is tailored for young researchers like me,” Laseter said. “Even with years of research now, I know I am only scratching the surface of what we know and what we can learn.

“The school helps propel us over the level of astrophysics classroom curriculum. Research field leaders put on talks and workshops so those of us that have research experience/published papers can continue to grow our knowledge, skills, and connections.”

While Laseter is honored to be accepted for his work, he points out, “my work and rewards would be nothing without the support from my mom, Donna Laseter; my step-dad, Gary Gruhala; my advisors, Dr. Michael Maseda and Dr. Amy Barger; and my classmates/colleagues.”

While Laseter is one of 21 UW–Madison students selected by the National Science Foundation to receive a graduate research fellowship, 2,000 people received the award across the United States out of tens of thousands, he said.

The school is directed at researchers of all levels who have a special interest in relevant aspects of the formation and evolution of galaxies, he said. The school will present a panoramic overview, aiming to go well beyond the standard textbook knowledge and provide updated information on the current frontiers of research with theory and observations.

The lectures and tutorials will be interactive, leaving room for questions and discussion. With this aim, several panel discussion sessions and evening tutorials will be scheduled throughout the week, promoting an interactive atmosphere. The participants will be encouraged to present a summary of their ongoing work or/and future projects during the panel sessions.

The difference in the school in Spain and the NSF award, according to Laseter, is the school is astrophysics-specific, whereas the NSF award can be in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, etc.

In regards to the National Science Foundation Award, Laseter believes “to be accepted into a prestigious group of scientists is an amazing reward that brings connections with other leading scientists of my age, freedom to focus on research without funding issues, and opportunities for professional development from the best in the field.”

Giving an example, Laseter said, “currently, 42 NSF Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.”

Past fellows include numerous Nobel Prize winners, former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Google founder Sergey Brin.

“However, there are more remarkable scientists who do not receive the award simply because there are a limited amount of rewards,” he said. “There is great research happening everywhere, so to be able to be recognized for the research that I have done and have proposed is simultaneously exciting and solemn.”

The work Laseter is doing with the James Webb Space Telescope currently “is steadfast as we are preparing the final steps for the first round of cycle 1 observations coming in August.

“We’re excited, but we need to figure out what exactly we have. We have our simulations, but we won’t truly know the instrument till we get the real data. It’s an exciting time.”