Searching for Cold, Hard Facts on the Edge of the Unknown
Could the icy objects in the distant Kuiper Belt hold the secrets to the origin of our Solar System? Graduate student Rachel Mastrapa is on the case. In a University of Arizona lab, she creates super cold ices to see what secrets Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) may hold.
"By seeing what they are made of, we can trace back to what the original solar system cloud was made of," she said. "They are like fossils of the solar system."
We caught up with Rachel at a planetary scientists' meeting in New Orleans. Here's what she had to say about her life and work:
How did you get involved in science?
Before I was 10, I new I was interested in astronomy. I also happened to do well in math and science in school. I did pretty well in school in general, but I liked math and science best. And my teachers and my parents were very encouraging.
How did you decide what area of science to study?
Doing science fair projects was very useful. The basic scientific method, asking a question about something and trying to figure out how to answer that question, is a really good exercise to see if science is something that you want to do. I also went to a science and math-focused magnet school. And when I decided to go to college, I looked for a university that had a program in astronomy. I ended up at the University of Southern California.
Astronomy? I thought you were a planetary scientist?
While I was at USC, I decided I wasn't as crazy about astronomy. The stars are a little too far away. I wanted something a little closer in. I also had an interest in geology, so I got a double major in astronomy and geology. I wasn't incredibly interested in staying on Earth and the stars were too far away, so in between there's the solar system. A background in astronomy and geology really prepared me for getting into graduate school in Arizona, which is where I am now.
Did any scientist role models inspire you?
No. There are not a lot of role models - especially for women - in science. You hear about Marie Curie and that's about it. It's kind of hard. On TV and in movies, if there's a scientist character, it's usually a guy. A lot of times it's not very cool for girls to be in science. It's a boy thing. That's just silly. It would have been nice to have a role model, but I'm also kind of stubborn so I just did it. I did get a lot of support from my parents. They encouraged me to study hard.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
At one point I wanted to be a veterinarian. But I would have to operate on dogs, so I wasn't crazy about that. I knew before I was 10 that I was very interested in astronomy.
What kind of books and television shows did you watch when you were growing up?
I read a lot of science fiction, Have Spacesuit Will Travel (by Robert A. Heinlein) that sort of stuff. It got me very excited about where science is going and what we might be able to do in the future-like living on Mars. I found that very exciting. I liked 3-2-1 Contact. That was a great science show. I remember there were one or two days that were all about space and the space program and they had astronauts on. For a while, I thought it would be great to be an astronaut, but I realized I'm not necessarily into the whole physical part and I'm pretty tall, too. It's kind of hard to get the tall astronauts up there. You breathe more air. That's not so good.
What do you do for fun?
In Tucson, we live right near the mountains so I like to go hiking and camping. Our department has field trips almost every semester to go out and look at rocks. There are a lot of good rocks in Arizona. It's the place to be. I also like dancing. I've done a little bit of ballet and modern dance.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I think I've lost touch with music. I listen to a lot of alternative music from when I was in high school and college. It's been a while since I even bought a new CD.
Do you have time for movies?
I'm looking forward to the next Star Wars movie.
You must stay very busy?
Grad school is a lot of work. It takes a lot of dedication to be able to stick to the project. It's a change from undergraduate programs where you have classes and you know what's expected of you and at the end of every semester you're free because you've done all your homework and taken your exams and the class is over. You begin grad school taking classes, but then after that you start your research and it's up to you, basically, to get the job done and graduate. You have to be self-motivated. And you have to want to do a lot of work for not a whole lot of money. It seems kind of crazy. You have to love what you do. You have to love the science. And that makes it worth doing. If solving these problems, asking these questions and exploring the possibilities are what makes you excited, then it's all worth it.
What kind of research are you working on now?
There's a lot of radiation out in space, so I simulate what happens when radiation interacts with the icy surfaces of Kuiper Belt Objects.
What is the Kuiper Belt?
There is the asteroid belt that is a zone of rocks in between Mars and Jupiter. Well, out beyond Neptune there is another belt that is made up of these big chunks of ice-the Kuiper Belt. If you've ever heard these arguments about whether or not Pluto is a planet, it's because Pluto might actually be just a very big Kuiper Belt Object (KBO). It's right smack dab in the middle of all these other objects.
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