Sharone is an incoming 4th year student studying Astronomy, Math and CS at UofT. She was born and raised in the UAE and moved to Canada when at the age of 14. Sharone’s fascination with astronomy began when she learned Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Sharone was upset that she couldn’t brag about the fact there was a planet whose moon’s name is (almost) the same as hers. The interest sent Sharone down a decade-long rabbit hole where the more documentaries she watched, books she read, the more curious she got, and here she is! Sharone’s research interests are main star forming regions and a super underrated population of exoplanets: Hot Neptunes. Outside of astronomy, Sharone is a drummer for a band. She loves to play story-based/RPG video games, read manga and bake.
What made you decide to participate in SURP?
For me, SURP offered a chance to explore what the research process is like, experience first hand what it means to do science, and learn how to tackle meaningful scientific inquiry. It is equally an opportunity to refine my research skills but also a chance to be part of cool research environment, learn about some active research questions, from faculty and my peers, and I was confident that these experiences would make me a better astronomer and grad student!
What is your favourite thing about SURP?
I don’t think I can narrow down one favorite thing but one of my favorite things about SURP is the community here that extends far beyond my own project. Whether it’s chatting with other students in the lounge, attending weekly seminars, joining group meetings, or volunteering at events like Astronomy on Tap, I’ve felt part of a vibrant and supportive research environment. The seminars in particular have been valuable and practical. I have learned how to design effective scientific posters, give science talks, and learn about the research within the faculty. What’s even cooler is having the time and space to focus only on research, rainstorm ideas during weekly group meetings, and truly engage with the scientific process. It’s all very new to me—but that’s what makes it exciting.
Can you tell us about your research project?
I am studying how stars are formed — specifically in ρ Ophiuchi which is part of the Upper Scorpius subgroup in the Sco-Cen stellar association. It is one the closest star forming regions to Earth at just 140 parsecs away. But, what makes ρ Oph particularly interesting is that it may not simply continue the known sequence of clusters in Upper Scorpius, but instead may mark the beginning of a new one—triggered by feedback from nearby massive OB-type stars. To explore this, I’m piecing together a multi-generational timeline of star formation across the region, using data from multiple surveys. I combine data from Gaia based Catalog SPYGLASS (Stars with Photometrically Young Gaia Luminosities around the Solar Neighbourhood; a program by my supervisor: Dr. Ronan Kerr), protostar catalogs, Herbig-Haro objects, dense core maps and gas maps. These different objects stand as time markers and age proxies, and help me investigate whether spatio- temporal gradients exist across the cloud, how stellar dynamics points to the feedback process shaping the next wave of star formation.
Can you explain how SURP has been different from your undergrad work?
Most of my undergrad experience has been about learning about astronomy. But SURP has felt like a stride further by applying what I’ve learned from my coursework to aspects of research, in every way I can but being able to fall back on courses, previous research experience. It’s been much more hands-on for me than my undergrad experience. Having the whole summer to focus and build on previous work, tinker with ideas, and explore questions has been a good insight into how research flows, and most importantly, got lots of experience communicating science through the presentations and my paper writing journey.
What are your plans for the future?
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I definitely plan to pursue graduate school—ideally working toward a PhD in Astronomy. I hope to become involved in academia and continue with my outreach work.
Tell us something fun about yourself unrelated to SURP!
I am big on science outreach! Outside of academic research, I work as an astronomy researcher at Space Point Publications, where I contribute literature-based research to support magazine articles, online research hubs, course development and so on. I also am an external Affairs Manager for the UTM Astronomy Student Association, where I get to reach out to people, be part of arranging fun trips and events, and get people excited about astronomy.
Sharone surprised at seeing Jupiter.
Sharone with her dog.
An overlay of the different classes of protostars, cores, Herbig-Haro Objects and older Pre-Main Sequence stars in ⍴ Ophiuichi (And some of the OB type stars in the region as well).
Age gradient within Upper Scorpius. The central younger region is ⍴ Ophiuichi.
The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto is an endowed research institute with over 80 faculty, postdocs, students, and staff, dedicated to innovative technology, ground-breaking research, world-class training, and public engagement.
The research themes of its faculty and Dunlap Fellows span the Universe and include: optical, infrared and radio instrumentation, Dark Energy, large-scale structure, the Cosmic Microwave Background, the interstellar medium, galaxy evolution, cosmic magnetism, and time-domain science.
The Dunlap Institute, the David A. Dunlap of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and other researchers across the University of Toronto’s three campuses together comprise the leading concentration of astronomers in Canada, at the leading research university in the country.
The Dunlap Institute is committed to making its science, training, and public outreach activities productive and enjoyable for everyone of all backgrounds and identities.
