The last TAURUS scholar spotlight of 2021 highlights Diana Gonzalez-Argúeta from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She recently sat down with one of her mentors, Prof. Caroline Morley, where they discussed background, community, science, and hobbies.
Diana Gonzalez-Argúeta comes to UT Austin this summer from New Jersey, where she attends the New Jersey Institute of Technology after transferring from Hudson County Community College. She’s been working during the TAURUS program this summer with Dr. Michael Gully-Santiago and Prof. Caroline Morley to understand substellar atmospheres using comparisons between high-resolution infrared spectra from the Keck telescopes and atmosphere models.
Her family is originally from El Salvador, and Diana grew up in a vibrant Latinx community in New Jersey filled with families from across Central and South America. She is passionate about science communication — one of her particular passions is bringing physics, astronomy, and science back to her community. In the future, one of her major goals is to serve as a medium between the academic world and Latinx communities like the one she grew up in, explaining science concepts in terms that her friends and family would connect with.
Outside of academics, Diana loves both art and music. She has picked up several different instruments, including the guitar!
Diana says that she’s learned a lot this summer during the TAURUS program, about both science and herself as a scientist. She is excited to apply to graduate school and get her PhD in the coming years. She’ll be applying to graduate schools in 2022, so look for her application then!
Along with the other TAURUS Scholars, Diana will be attending the AAS meeting in Salt Lake City in January 2022, so be sure to reach out to meet her if you plan on attending!
