Eileen Gonzales facts for kids

Eileen Gonzales is an amazing American scientist. She studies space and stars, which is called astrophysics. She works at Cornell University. Her main research is about planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets. She also studies objects called brown dwarfs, which are like failed stars. Eileen helped start and organize a group called #BlackInPhysics. This group celebrates Black scientists who study physics and shares their important work.

Early Life and Learning

Eileen Gonzales grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She loved learning about space from a young age. She went to Michigan State University to study astrophysics. This is the science that uses physics to understand how stars, planets, and galaxies work.

College and Graduate Studies

After Michigan State, Eileen earned her Master's degree in Physics. She got this degree from San Francisco State University. She then continued her studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. There, she earned another Master's degree from Hunter College. She also earned an MPhil in Physics.

Eileen's PhD Research

In 2020, Eileen earned her PhD. A PhD is the highest university degree you can get. For her PhD, she studied the air around low-mass stars. She also looked at the air around brown dwarves. Brown dwarves are objects that are bigger than planets but smaller than stars. They are sometimes called "failed stars" because they don't have enough mass to burn like a true star.

Exploring Space: Eileen's Research

Eileen Gonzales is a special researcher at Cornell University. She is a "51 Pegasi b Fellow." This means she has a special grant to do important research. She combines different ways of studying space. She uses observational astronomy, which means looking at space with telescopes. She also uses theoretical astrophysics, which means using math and computers to understand how space works.

Studying Exoplanet Air

Eileen uses these skills to study the air around exoplanets. Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars other than our Sun. She takes methods used to study clouds on brown dwarfs. Then, she uses these methods to learn about the air on other objects. These include giant planets like gas giant exoplanets. She wants to understand what these distant worlds are made of.

Visiting Scientist Role

Eileen is also a visiting scientist at the American Museum of Natural History. This means she works with scientists there. She shares her knowledge and helps with their research projects.

Sharing Science and Helping Others

Eileen Gonzales is very active in sharing science with others. She also works to help more people get involved in science.

Teaching and Mentoring

When she was studying for her PhD, Eileen worked at the American Museum of Natural History. She helped high school students learn about astronomy. She was a mentor, guiding them in their studies. She also taught them about the wonders of space.

Starting #BlackInPhysics

Eileen was a main organizer for the first #BlackInPhysics Week. She worked with Charles D. Brown II and Jessica Esquivel. This special week aimed to celebrate Black physicists. It also helped to show their important work in science. The idea came from other successful groups like Black Birders Week.

Support for the Campaign

Many big science groups supported #BlackInPhysics. These included Nature Physics and the American Institute of Physics. Physics Today and Physics World also helped. The campaign wanted to create a strong community for Black physicists. It also aimed to make people aware of challenges Black physicists face. Most importantly, it helped show more Black role models in science.