2025 Program

2025 Program Information

2025 News Article

REACH Core S1 Participants: Eve Abraham, Arden Ahrens, Varish Ananth, Keira Beaudoin, Simon Berk, Arya Binaykia, Ian Chiu, Amelia Crumrine, Avery Domaschuk, Ellory Gray, Emiliano (Emi) Horta Baltazar, Angelina (Angie) Huang, Gayanika Karthik, Lucas Lázaro, Griffin Lewis, Xiaotong (Tommy) Li Huang, Lucy Martens, Nolan Maycunich, Zhiying Mei, Kaylin Moon, Ben Novak, Yuqi Qian, Beatrice (Bea) Schwarz, Raghvendra (Raghav) Singh, Matthew Tam, Zhaoyan Wang

REACH Core S2 Participants: Adi Bawiskar, Mazlin Cimfel, Saira (Sai) Dagli, Scott Dunn, Peter Elbakian, Cristina Ellis, Parker Frame, Aryan Grover, Veronica Jia, Nathaniel (Nate) Johnson, Max Karsh, Jesiah Mendoza, Shalini Mishra, Bryce Oh, Hans Petraitis, Joanna Piczak, Shourya Prakash, Sophie Qin, Aidana Saken, William Sheehan, Shlok Shetty, Vivian Tang, Brooks Traugott, Nidhi Vaidya, Alimzhan (Alim) Yermek

Program Staff

Who are we?

Program Staff:

James Schottelkotte – Director
Miguel Martinez – Brinson Mentor, Computation Instructor
Jonathan Roberts – Brinson Mentor, Reach Further Mentor Lead
Nathalie Jones – Programs Coordinator
TBA – Administrative Support
Kari Frank – CIERA Director of Operations

Instructors:  Program material will be taught by  CIERA graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. Our CIERA community places particular emphasis on excellence in scientific communication and our researchers are experienced in communicating astronomy to a variety of audiences.

Research Mentors:  Research projects  and mentors are drawn from our diverse  community of active researchers  in Astronomy. Each year’s program page includes a list of mentors and their projects!

Program Content

What will you do?

Core Program

Learn Python programming and how to work with data! The bulk of REACH includes an extensive introduction to programming and scientific data analysis, with additional topics such as:
- Working with astronomical images and simulations
- High Performance Computing (supercomputers)
- Data visualization
Learn about Astronomy! Learn about stars, planets, galaxies, and cosmology while putting the programming skills you are learning to work with hands-on computer programming activities.
Research projects! Put your computer programming skills to good use by working on real astronomy research projects put together by CIERA scientists from their own research interests. At the end of the core program, you’ll give a presentation on what you found!
Extracurriculars! Learn about the college experience, astronomy powered career paths, science communication. Participate in other social events, including solar observing.

REACH Further – limited availability

Students participating in REACH Further will conduct an mentored research project with a CIERA scientist. These students will work with their mentors to set daily and weekly goals as they dive deeper into astronomy research, culminating in a presentation on their work at the end of the session.
- Meetings with cohort and program coordinator twice per week
- Daily meetings with mentor (may be virtual)
- Independent work on research project by the student, with an expectation of approximately 5 hours a day. Exact hours are flexible, and the student can opt to do much of the work remotely.

Program Schedule

When and where?

There will be two sessions offered for Summer 2025, with the option to participate in REACH Further (limited availability) following either session.

Core Program Dates

Session 1: June 16 – July 3, 2025
Time: 9:30am – 4:30pm
No programming on June 19th or July 4th.

Session 2: July 7 – July 25, 2025
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm
For Week 1 only, program hours are 9:30am – 4pm

REACH Further Dates

Session 1: July 7 – July 25, 2025

Session 2: July 28 – August 15, 2025

Location: 1800 Sherman Avenue, 8th Floor, Evanston, IL

Click here for a virtual tour of our space.

Research Projects

What are the research topics?

Potential Core program research projects for both sessions during Summer 2025 currently include, but are not limited to:

- The Velocities of Stars in the Milky Way
- The Habitable Zones of Other Worlds in the Cosmos
- The Effects of Stellar X-Ray and UV Flares on Exoplanetary Atmospheres
- Climate Models of the Earth
- Short Gamma Ray Burst Afterglow Fitting
- How Bright are Accreting Black Holes in Binary Systems?
- Stellar Evolution – The Dynamic Lives of Stars
- Binary Stars with COSMIC
- How Can You Extract Energy from Black Holes?

Projects are modified or added each year, so options may vary

REACH Further projects vary each year and are dependent on the mentors recruited. Projects align with ongoing research at CIERA, an overview of which can be found here. REACH Further mentor pairing occurs during the preceding Core Session, based on students’ interests.

Reach Further

Reach Further Topics

The 2025 cohort of High School students worked on the following research projects, created by the CIERA scientists below:

REACH Further Session 1

Exploring Binary Black Hole Evolution

Mentor: Ilia Kiato

Student: Matthew Tam

This project investigates the formation, evolution, and ultimate fate of binary black hole systems. Using theoretical modeling, numerical simulations, and observational data from gravitational wave detections, the project aims to understand how binary black holes form, what physical processes govern their orbital evolution, and how their mergers contribute to our broader understanding of stellar evolution and galaxy dynamics. By comparing simulated populations with gravitational wave observations, the work seeks to place constraints on black hole masses, spins, and merger rates, shedding light on the astrophysical environments that give rise to these extreme systems.

Gravitational Waves

Mentor: Kierstin Sorensen

Student: Amelia Crumrine

This project focuses on the study of gravitational waves using the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, a space-based observatory led by ESA and NASA. Unlike ground-based detectors, LISA will be sensitive to low-frequency gravitational waves, opening a new window into the universe. The project explores how LISA will detect signals from merging supermassive black holes, compact binaries within our galaxy, and potentially exotic sources such as extreme mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs). By analyzing these signals, the project aims to advance our understanding of black hole growth, stellar evolution, and the dynamics of galaxies, while testing general relativity in strong gravity regimes on cosmological scales.

Stellar Explosions

Mentor: Lindsey Kwok

Student: Zhiying Mei

This project investigates the life cycles of massive stars and the dramatic explosions that mark their deaths, including supernovae, kilonovae, and gamma-ray bursts. By studying both theoretical models and observational data, the project seeks to understand the physical processes driving these explosions, the role of nuclear reactions and stellar structure, and the production of heavy elements that enrich galaxies. Stellar explosions not only shape the evolution of stars and galaxies but also serve as laboratories for extreme physics and as key sources of gravitational waves and high-energy radiation.

Visualizing High-Redshift Galaxy Formation

Mentor: Andy Marszewski

Student: Lucas Lázaro

This project explores the formation and evolution of the earliest galaxies in the universe, focusing on the high-redshift era when the first structures were assembling after the Big Bang. By combining cosmological simulations with observational data from next-generation telescopes, the project aims to visualize and analyze how gas, dark matter, and star formation processes interact to build galaxies over cosmic time. These visualizations help reveal the complex physics driving early galaxy growth, provide insight into the epoch of reionization, and offer a bridge between theoretical predictions and observational discoveries.

High Frequency Gravitational Wave Detection

Mentor: George Winstone

Student: Yuqi Q

This project investigates methods for detecting high-frequency gravitational waves, a regime beyond the sensitivity of current ground- and space-based detectors. High-frequency signals could arise from sources such as primordial black holes, neutron star oscillations, or physics beyond the Standard Model in the early universe. By exploring novel detector concepts—ranging from resonant mass detectors to quantum sensing techniques—the project aims to expand the accessible gravitational-wave spectrum, opening opportunities to probe new astrophysical phenomena and fundamental physics in previously unexplored frequency ranges.

Exploring Collisions at Galactic Centers

Mentor: Sanaea Rose

Student: Gayanika Karthik

This project examines the dynamics of stellar and compact object collisions in galactic centers, where dense environments and the influence of supermassive black holes create extreme astrophysical conditions. By modeling interactions between stars, black holes, and gas, the project seeks to understand how collisions shape stellar populations, drive energetic phenomena, and contribute to the growth of central black holes. These studies also provide insights into gravitational wave sources, transient events, and the role of galactic nuclei in galaxy evolution.

Analyzing Supermassive Black Holes And Their Environments

Mentor: Megan Newsome

Student: Raghav Singh

This project focuses on the study of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and the environments in which they reside, from the centers of galaxies to large-scale cosmic structures. By analyzing both simulations and observational data, the project investigates how SMBHs grow through accretion and mergers, how they interact with surrounding gas and stars, and how their feedback influences galaxy formation and evolution. Understanding these environments provides key insights into the co-evolution of galaxies and their central black holes, as well as the role of SMBHs as powerful sources of radiation and gravitational waves.

REACH Further Session 2

Stellar Binary Orbital Evolution

Mentor: Kyle Rocha

Student: Bryce Oh

This project investigates how the orbits of binary star systems change over time under the influence of stellar evolution, tidal interactions, mass transfer, and gravitational wave emission. By combining theoretical modeling with observational constraints, the project explores the pathways that binaries follow as their components evolve, including outcomes such as compact object formation, mergers, or stable long-term configurations. Understanding binary orbital evolution is essential for interpreting gravitational wave signals, predicting supernova progenitors, and tracing the life cycles of stars in diverse astrophysical environments.

Dynamical Formation of IMBHs in High-Metallicity Dense Star Clusters

Mentor: Fulya Kıroğlu

Student: Jesiah Mendoza

This project explores the dynamical formation of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) within dense, high-metallicity star clusters. Using N-body simulations and theoretical modeling, the research investigates how stellar interactions, collisions, and mergers can lead to the growth of IMBHs in environments where metallicity affects stellar evolution and mass loss. Understanding these formation pathways provides key insights into the population of IMBHs, their potential as gravitational wave sources, and their role in the evolution of star clusters and galactic nuclei.

Exoplanet Formation and Characterization

Mentor: Jonathan Roberts

Student: Peter Elbakian

This project focuses on the formation, evolution, and observational characterization of exoplanets. By combining theoretical models, simulations, and observational data, it investigates how planets form in protoplanetary disks, how their compositions and atmospheres evolve, and how they can be detected and studied through transit, radial velocity, and direct imaging methods. The research aims to connect planetary properties to their formation environments, improving our understanding of planet diversity, habitability, and the processes that shape planetary systems.