Personal Story

Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue33 1–31 October 2022

I was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia and moved to Canberra in 2019 to pursue astronomy. Now, I’m a fourth-year undergraduate studying astronomy and astrophysics and working as an undergraduate research assistant at Mount Stromlo. Although I miss my family and friends back home I’m really glad I made the leap and moved to Canberra, as I’ve had some of the most amazing opportunities.

I’ve always been interested in science, and when I was younger I read dozens of science books. However it was in my first classes in physics that I became really excited and fascinated by how the universe works. I have fond memories of my maths and physics classes in high school, and feel really lucky that I had a supportive environment with family and teachers who encouraged me to keep challenging myself and dream big.

I met my current supervisors Dr. Katie Grasha and Prof. Lisa Kewley in my first year at ANU at the end of 2019, and after starting my first research project with them I was hooked. I remember, even with the bushfires, horrific smoke and hail storms when I was in Canberra working on a research project in the summer of 2019/2020, that I knew this was something I enjoyed and wanted to continue doing. After my first research project I have been working as an undergraduate research assistant for Prof. Lisa Kewley and Dr. Katie Grasha on various research projects to investigate extragalactic star-forming regions and their ISM properties with IFU data. I feel very privileged to have had so many opportunities in research at RSAA and with ASTRO-3D and I continue to learn more everyday in such a supportive environment. 

Something else I am also passionate about outside my studies is outreach. Mainly, I’ve volunteered with Young Stars, as well as the ANU Astronomy Society since the start of my degree. Since having the opportunity to lead the society in 2021-2022, I’ve been able to run many amazing social and academic events to engage students. It is a really special part of ANU for me and I’ve met a lot of amazing people who are passionate about astronomy and stargazing. I have a lot of fond memories with this community – particularly after events when students leave excited and enthusiastic for the next event – it feels incredibly rewarding and is a big motivator for me to put in as much effort as I do. Now, as I’m approaching my final year, with honours next year, I won’t be able to continue leading the society. However, I know outreach and sharing my passion for astronomy will always remain an important part of my life.

Outside coursework, research and volunteering I have a few hobbies I enjoy. I enjoy playing classical piano which I studied for many years, and I love watching student orchestra concerts on campus. I also love going to the gym, bouldering, and going for walks in nature especially on ANU campus and at Mount Stromlo (the photo is of me next to some of the domes at Stromlo!). 

Next year will be the last year of my degree at ANU. Although I don’t know where I’ll be after I graduate I know astronomy research is something I absolutely love and want to continue. I am looking forward to what the next chapter brings!

Sophia Ridolfo