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To the Universe and Beyond

Ana Sofia Uzsoy
Ana Sofia Uzsoy

Every child grows up with a dream; something they have always wanted to explore, discover or create. However most kids dreamt of being rockstars, or cowboys, or superheroes. Meanwhile, Ana Sofia Uzsoy, student at NC State University, wanted to be an astronomer. 

Over the course of her first years at NC State, she began her work with cell division and how this causes different health issues – one major issue being cancer. While using this research she began to make her way to studying other types of life cells that could occur not only on earth, but other places in the universe. She began to study the cells that are able to survive on earth and the layer surrounding our planet that keeps the radiation from becoming harmful. Comparing this information to Mars, it has become clear that Mars doesn’t have this layer of protection, which leads to the question, How can life survive on Mars? 

Not only did Uzsoy study cells and life on other planets, but she was also able to act on her dream to be an astronomer, by participating in the Research Experience for Undergraduates in astronomy at the University of Chicago. She began to study exoplanets, which is a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system. Uzsoy analyzed the data from the Kepler space telescope and was able to go more into depth with her findings. 

All of these amazing accomplishments that Ana Sofia Uzsoy has been able to cultivate, all took place her freshman and sophomore years of college. She plans to pursue her PhD in computational astrophysics and possibly become a physics professor. 

We applaud her for all of her hard work and research and can’t wait to see what other OUT OF THIS WORLD experiences she endeavors.