University
of
Toledo
Astronomer appointed to NASA
Tom Megeath, assistant professor in the department of physics
and astronomy, was chosen to serve a three-year term as a
member of the executive committee for NASA’s Cosmic Origins
Program Analysis Group. Megeath specializes in the formation
of stars and planets.
“Their intent is to advise NASA on the directions they should
go in terms of research about cosmic origins,” said Karen
Bjorkman, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, distinguished university professor of astronomy
and Helen Luedtke Brooks endowed professor of astronomy. “It
has to do with all the different kinds of science that NASA is
interested in regarding the universe. It has to do with
whether there are habitable planets round there around other
stars.”
According to UT News, Megeath was the primary investigator for
the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey, one of 21 competitively
awarded Key Programs on the European Space Agency’s Herschel
far-infrared space-based telescope. This program studied the
creation of stars, particularly in the Orion nebula region of
the sky, by combining data from Herschel and several other
space telescopes.
“When it comes to allocating resources, NASA needs guidance
from the astronomers who use its huge range of instruments to
collect data,” Megeath said. “The work I do with the advisory
group will influence and contribute to NASA missions 10, 20
years from now. This is a huge opportunity for us here at UT.”
According to Bjorkman, the Cosmic Origins Program Analysis
Group is comprised of many subcommittees. JD Smith, UT
associate professor of astronomy, is the chair of the NASA
Far-Infrared Science Interest Group, which works together with
the Cosmic Origins group.
“I’m delighted that our astronomers are connected with this
because it shows that we have really good scientists that are
working here who are acknowledged national and
internationally,” Bjorkman said.
Bjorkman described the involvement of UT astronomers as
important because it gives UT a seat at the table in these
conversations about the future of space science, astronomy
research and things of that nature.
“We can make sure that we’re going to be engaged and our
students are going to be engaged,” Bjorkman said, “and it
helped us to think of what schools our students need to have
as we go into the future, and the same skills that astronomers
needed yesterday are not the ones that they need tomorrow.”