Simply based off of the fact that I am taking a computer science class this quarter (ASTR 210: Scientific Computing in Astronomy, a new required course for the astro major), I’d say that my digital literacy has probably improved the most this semester in comparison to the other competencies. In that class, I have been learning the basics of coding in Python, specifically using it to manipulate and visualize large data sets, which is integral to scientific research. I have especially enjoyed learning how to make histograms–the ones I have made of stars and nearby galaxies have come out so beautiful (and are so cool! They really exist like that in the sky!).
I am excited to use these skills that I have learned in both the near and distant future. As early as next semester, I hope to begin working on Astronomy research, most likely with the professor with whom I took ASTR 210. She is a theoretical astrophysicist, so her work involves creating and manipulating simulations of black holes in order to better understand them. If I start working with her next semester/this summer, most of my work will involve coding and visualizing data sets, a continuation my utilization of the knowledge and skills I have gained over the course of her class. Additionally, in a world with an ever-growing reliance on technology, I know that my coding skills could be useful in the future. For example, I shadowed a cardiologist this summer who does a lot of work with imaging. When I was working with her, I learned how to read echocardiograms, which was quite fascinating. If I wanted to go into that in the future, a strong computing background would certainly be helpful. Funnily enough, some of the simulations my astro computing professor which whom I’d like to work showed me–which depicted the movement of matter and energy in black holes–actually really reminded me of the movement of blood throughout the chambers of the heard that I saw in the echos I read with the doctor I shadowed!
.
