Meet Recent Recipients of the Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship
Jessica Johnson
Jessica Johnson is a junior at the University of Northern Colorado. She is a physics major with a concentration in astronomy. She loved Star Wars as a child, and from there, she developed a greater interest in science, particularly astronomy.
Outside of class, she spends her time at meetings for her university’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students. She also enjoys reading science fiction, playing the saxophone, and spending time with her dog.
This school year, she hopes to secure an internship to further her career and initiate research at UNC. After earning her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend graduate school to advance her career and closer to pursuing her dream of becoming an astronomer/astrophysicist.
Nora Kane
Nora Kane hails from Long Island, NY, and is entering her sophomore year at the California Institute of Technology as a physics major. Her fascination with the night sky and all things astronomical began even before her formal schooling did. She was privileged to have spent summer weeks at NASA’s Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania as a child, which further fueled this passion.
She has interned in the physics department at Brookhaven National Laboratory since 2022, initially in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group and subsequently on the Electron Ion Collider Development Team.
As a proud graduate of Lynbrook Senior High School, she continues to mentor students in the Science Research Program, particularly on topics involving machine learning and computer programming.
At Caltech, she is a swimmer on their NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Team, an elected representative on the Board of Control (which addresses infractions to the school’s Honor Code and instances of academic dishonesty), a tutor at the Hixon Writing Center, and a newly appointed Equity and Title IX Advocate.
Kane notes that her first year at Caltech was transformational, as she immersed herself in Caltech’s culture of driven excellence. She was introduced to her favorite and most memorable topic of her first year: special relativity, which was covered in Physics 1B Analytical during the winter term. Through this course, her passion for physics was solidified, and she realized that she wants to pursue future research in the field of relativity.
Overall, her first year at Caltech was marked by her continued commitment to achieving her goals, with the ultimate aim of completing a Ph.D. in the geometry of spacetime and then becoming a faculty member at a research institution while establishing her own lab. With the experiences of her first year, she has been able to specify her goals further: she wants to study Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity and reconcile it with Quantum Mechanics, discovering exactly how gravity is a quantum mechanical feature and what that says about the geometry of the spacetime we live in. Next year, she will continue to take classes that bring her closer to achieving these goals, as well as serving the Caltech community in various ways, including those listed above, while seeking more opportunities to enhance her own educational experience and that of those around her.
Lily Myers
Lily Myers has always been drawn to the mysteries of the universe. In high school, she pursued her passion through physics and math courses at her local community college, ultimately becoming a 2024 NASA SEES intern. There, she did planetary geology research and was selected to design and fly her own experiment in zero gravity, which only deepened her passion for astrophysics. Lily is now beginning her first year at UC Berkeley, where she plans to major in Astrophysics and minor in French and Geology.
This year, she looks forward to continuing to build a strong foundation in astronomy and math while seeking out research and student organizations that will expand her knowledge and experience beyond the classroom. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a Ph.D in astrophysics and contribute to the scientific community while inspiring other young women to follow their curiosity into the sciences.
Selen Serdar
Selen Serdar is a junior at Purdue University studying aerospace engineering with minors in astronomy, physics, and mathematics. Since her childhood, she has been fascinated by astrophysics, specifically quasars. After completing some of her coursework in college, she has refined her focus to include quantum mechanics, relativity, control theory, and pure mathematics. Selen’s goal is to obtain her PhD in theoretical physics or controls and conduct research on unsolved physics problems. Selen is an intern with TNTLabs at Purdue, and she is researching non-destructive evaluation techniques for semiconductor manufacturing and aerospace structures. Currently, she is developing a Kalman filtering program to detect material damage based on changes in its conductivity. Additionally, she is a member of Purdue’s SLING research club, which is part of the Astrodynamics team, whose goal is to build a momentum-exchange tether orbiting between the Earth and the Moon. In the spring semester, Selen and her team built an ephemeris propagator in MATLAB, which models the dynamics of a spacecraft in cislunar orbit.
Aside from her coursework and research, Selen enjoys making art, listening to jazz funk, and rock climbing.
Benji Simberg
Benji Simberg has been involved with the Denver Astronomical Society for three years and counting, where he has done astrophotography at the Kline-Dodge Dark Site, attended seasonal banquets, and volunteered at the Chamberlain Observatory. He has conducted research at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at CU Boulder, developing flight software for satellites and doing data analysis on astrophysics experiments.
Beyond experience, he has been interested in Astronomy and Physics from a young age, first being inspired by Neil DeGrasse Tyson to study the stars and Universe, and continuing to learn throughout his journey. Now, he is attending the University of California, Berkeley, where he is double-majoring in Astrophysics and Physics. He plans to continue his education in graduate school to pursue a PhD in Astrophysics and conduct his own research in the future. Benji also plans to continue visiting the Observatory and attending DAS events every time he returns home from school.
Sonata Simonaitis-Boyd
Sonata was the sole recipient of the VNH scholarship in 2020 and received it again in 2021. In her first year at the University of California, San Diego, she pursued a physics course sequence as her major. She intends to specialize in astrophysics, with a minor in Mathematics. Her goal is to pursue a Ph.D. and conduct research in areas that interest her, such as the theoretical aspects of astrophysics, particularly the physics underlying black holes. She is also keeping her options open to work in the industry in firms like NASA or SpaceX.
Besides her university studies, she turned her volunteer position at Optical InfraRed (OIR) Laboratory into a work-study position. She is involved in analyzing the collected data and interpreting it through graphs and plots. In the summer of 2021, she also participated as an intern in Carnegie Observatories’ summer research program, focusing primarily on lab work with quasars and galaxy spectra.
Sonata is also interested in medieval history. She intends to take some history courses as part of her liberal arts education. She has been working part-time since 2019 to finance her education. Scholarships like the VNH alleviate her financial burden, enabling her to pursue her dreams in astrophysics. She is already a role model for girls in the STEM field.
Jackson Eames
Jackson finds physics fascinating and has a passion for exploring the current unknowns in the field of astrophysics, such as using mathematical models and equations to predict the evolution of neutron stars. His dream career is to be a researcher at a university, working in the field of theoretical physics, where he will push the boundaries of human knowledge through his research.
Black holes are a particular area of interest for Jackson. He has read and studied the latest research on them and is enthusiastic about all the new theories about them, including the Einstein-Rosen bridge theory involving wormholes.
In addition to astronomy, he has a passion for music, especially percussion, and has marched with multiple ensembles, ranging from local high school groups to world-class independent bands. He made many friends through music and marching with groups. Music is part of his life as much as physics is.
Jackson plans to attend the University of Alabama, majoring in Physics and Mathematics with a minor in Liberal Arts.
Connor Rosenthal
Conner finds dark matter to be the most fascinating topic, as it represents a whole new world of particles to explore and experiment with. He wants to be a researcher studying the unknown universe, specifically in the field of astrophysics.
He has recently attended summer camps where he had the opportunity to use radio astronomy to study a nebula and was involved in a research group studying a supernova.
Conner also has a strong interest in acting and theater, which he has been participating in since he was ten years old. He is also passionate about literature, storytelling, and history.
Korbin Aydin Hansen
Astronomy and astrophysics are childhood passions for Korbin. His ideal career would be exploring the issues around mining asteroids, from research to engineering to mission planning. He sees great promise for mankind in asteroid mining. He has written a research report on optimizing the mining of near-Earth asteroids.
As someone interested in engineering, he enjoys reading and learning about how space programs address the challenges associated with each planet, such as the “seven minutes of terror” on Mars or achieving the escape velocity necessary to reach the outer planets.
He was raised in a multicultural family with both parents in academics. He has been very inquisitive, and his parents have encouraged him to develop both academically and socially. He is planning to attend the University of Arizona. As a National Merit Scholar, Korbin’s tuition is already covered at the university.
Sonata Simonaitis-Boyd
Like last year, this year’s pool of applicants was incredibly strong. However, Sonata stood out above the crowd.
Sonata is just beginning her astronomy career, but has always had a deep connection with outer space. She has been attending astrophysics lectures at the University of California, San Diego since she was in elementary school. Black holes held a particular fascination for her. In high school, she took AP classes in Physics and loved them, while graduating as valedictorian.
During her senior year, she continued her astronomical studies at UCSD with astrophysicist Shelley Wright, where she studied quasars alongside her mentor. She also signed up to take Astronomy 101 at her local community college, which sustained her passion for the subject. She did all of this while working part-time to help support her family through difficult financial times.
Sonata is now in her first year at UCSD. She intends to major in Physics with a specialization in Astrophysics. Her goal is to eventually obtain her Ph.D. and become a role model for other girls in the field.
Ryan Webster
This is the second year that Ryan has received the VNH Scholarship. Ryan is entering his senior year at the University of Arizona, where he is majoring in astronomy with a minor in physics.
In addition to his coursework, Ryan has continued his work at the Steward Observatory as a Large Binocular Telescope Adaptive Optics Specialist. Dr. Steve Ertel, an Associate Researcher at the Steward Observatory, says Ryan’s work is “…critical to the operations of one of the most advanced adaptive optics systems in the world on the largest optical telescope in the world.”
This summer, Ryan is pursuing research at Texas A&M through a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates internship. He is using astrometry data from the Gaia Space Observatory to determine the orbits of several dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way, which will help astronomers gain a better understanding of the distribution of dark matter around the Milky Way, as well as how dwarf galaxies evolve over time. He will be presenting his findings at the 235th American Astronomical Society winter meeting.
Anna Maxey
Anna has just begun her journey to becoming an astronomer, but she has had a lifelong passion for the field. Anna fell in love with astronomy, looking up in wonder at the Milky Way under dark skies from her childhood home. She is currently a student at Red Rocks Community College, where she is working toward an associate’s degree in science, with a physics designation. She then plans to transfer to the University of Colorado, where she will pursue a degree in astrophysics.
Anna is also a member of the Denver Astronomical Society and is currently in training to become a telescope operator at Chamberlin Observatory. David Shouldice said she is one of the most enthusiastic and driven trainees he has had the pleasure to work with.
Daniel Percuoco-Poras
Daniel will be starting his freshman year at the University of Colorado Boulder this fall, where he will be majoring in Physics and Astrophysics.
Daniel graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arvada West High School and has always focused on STEM coursework in order to get him closer to his dream of becoming an astrophysicist.
One of his teachers, Christyn Keyler, says that “Daniel is one of the most resilient and multi-faceted students I have ever had in my career. His story of overcoming odds in his academic prowess is given meaning by his pure, humble, and honest character.”
Connor Bray
Connor graduated magna cum laude from the Colorado School of Mines in 2018 with a B.S. in Engineering Physics with a Computer Science minor and is already well established in the field of astronomy and engineering, having completed two internships with NASA. He is now pursuing his Master’s degree, where he will research dark matter by searching for the sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that interacts with matter only through gravity.
Connor has been a member of the Denver Astronomical Society since 2013 and credits the DAS as one of his inspirations to pursue a career in astrophysics or aerospace engineering.
Ryan Webster
Ryan is currently a junior at the University of Arizona, where he is majoring in astronomy with a minor in physics.
In addition to his course work, Ryan works at the Steward Observatory as a Large Binocular Telescope Adaptive Optics Specialist and as the Chief Telescope Operator of the Steward 21” Telescope.
He is also working on research into white dwarf planetary systems using the Large Binocular Telescope. Ryan has been interested in astronomy since childhood, but says that working at S&S Optika was what really ignited his passion and set him on a path to becoming an astronomer.career in astrophysics or aerospace engineering.
Where Are They Now?
Checking in on Past Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship Winners
Dr. C. Nick Arge
Dr. Arge is the head of the Solar Physics Laboratory (SPL) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, one of the world’s largest solar physics laboratories, comprising approximately 80 solar scientists, postdoctoral researchers, students, and support staff. Prior to that, he worked at the University of Colorado & NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) from 1996 to 2003, and then at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicles Directorate, from 2004 to 2016.
Dr. Arge received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Arizona in 1985, his M.S. degree in Physics from the University of Minnesota in 1988, and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Delaware in 1997. His research interests include the physics of the corona and solar wind, particularly in modeling them for both fundamental and applied purposes (e.g., space weather forecasting). Dr. Arge is the lead developer of the Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) coronal and solar wind model, which, along with the Enlil solar wind model, was transitioned into operations at the National Weather Service (NWS) in 2011. The coupled WSA+Enlil model is the first space weather model to be transitioned to operations at the NWS. Dr. Arge is a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the Solar Physics Division of AAS, and the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
He received the Van Nattan-Hansen-Anderson Scholarship twice in the early 1980s.
Dr. Mark Bottorff
Dr. Bottorff was a DAS Associate member in the 1970s and is familiar to DAS members as a companion at local star parties and a frequent speaker at DAS general meetings. He is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas. Mark’s research over the years has focused on quasars, the supermassive black holes that serve as the most powerful energy sources in the universe. He began studying quasars while earning his Ph.D. and working as a research assistant at the University of Kentucky. He stayed for three years as a post-doctoral researcher and wrote papers based on quasar information gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Anthony Gojanovic, M.S.
Mr. Gojanovic received his B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He went on to obtain an M.S. degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Denver and was a statistician for 30 years at Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado, collaborating on a wide range of research projects that spanned from optimizing barley harvests to understanding the antioxidant properties in fermented beverages. One of his notable accomplishments was the development of a simulation program to determine survival probabilities of a lander mission on Mars in collaboration with the University of Denver and Lockheed Martin. Currently, he is semi-retired, the owner of A&G Statworks, and a volunteer member of the DAS. His current interests include computational astronomy and cosmology.
Dr. Joseph Pesce
Dr. Pesce received his B.A. in Physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He went on to obtain an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Cambridge and the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy.
Dr. Pesce is a Program Director at the National Science Foundation, Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences, Division of Astronomical Sciences. An Astrophysicist with 30 years of experience, his primary areas of interest is in the external environments of galaxies hosting super massive black holes (Active Galactic Nuclei – AGN – in particular blazars); formation and evolution of AGN and galaxies; intergalactic medium in clusters of galaxies; imaging and spectroscopy of AGN (optical, IR, UV, X-ray); multiwavelength (radio to gamma) monitoring studies of blazars; cool stars and stellar atmospheres (AGB stars, supernovae progenitors).
He is the Program Officer responsible for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Central Development Laboratory (CDL), the Very Large Array (VLA), and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA.
Dr. Pesce remains an active member of the DAS and has recently joined the VNH Committee to assist in selecting future scholarship recipients.
Dr. Brad Schaefer
Dr. Schaefer received his Ph.D in Astronomy and Astrophysics from MIT in 1983. He is a Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University. A primary interest of his research has been to utilize the photometry of exploding objects to obtain results of interest for cosmology. He was involved in the exploration of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to use as standard candles in cosmological investigations.
James Zavislan, Ph.D.
Dr. Zavislan chose not to enter the field of physics and astronomy, but used his B.S. Degree in Optics and his Ph.D. in Optics in 1988 (from the University of Rochester) to do research improving the performance of optical imaging systems for biomedical, material science, and remote sensing applications. He is an inventor or co-inventor on 42 issued U.S. patents, an author or co-author on 20 papers, and the co-editor of a book on optical systems. His current area of research is skin imaging. He holds two associate professorships at The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, in New York.