TAURUS Scholar Spotlight: Cosme Aquino Ovelar

Cosme Aquino Ovelar is a rising junior at the University of Oklahoma. During the program he is working with Dr. Juan Farias performing numerical N-body simulations of stellar associations collisions. He is investigating if this mechanism is a viable path to forming bound stellar systems.  Juan sat down with Cosme to know a bit more about his background.

JPF: Please tell me who you are and how you got into the Taurus program.

CAO: I'm a rising junior from Paraguay at the University of Oklahoma. I applied to TAURUS this year because I wanted to get a feel of life as an astrophysics researcher, visit the well-established McDonald Observatory, and because I value the program's commitment to diversity. All of the above made TAURUS an excellent environment for me, so when I got accepted, I was very excited!

JPF: I understand you are a non-resident. How did it happen that you came to study in the US? Did you come alone?  Are you enjoying your stay?

CAO: That's right! From the moment I started to see astronomy as a possible career path, I knew I had to migrate if I wanted to study this subject at a higher level since no universities in Paraguay offer astronomy as a major. In 2018, I was privileged to attend a United World College in Victoria, Canada, for my last two high school years. This invaluable experience gave me the perspective to consider new educational opportunities, like applying to some North American universities. That's how I got to the University of Oklahoma. I came to the United States by myself. Still, I made incredibly kindhearted friends along the way who have been a support network in my life here, like my family back home, encouraging me in my educational journey right from the beginning. 

JPF: How did you get interested in Astronomy? Did you consider other majors?

CAO: The universe has always been a fascinating topic, but the concept of black holes was particularly the fuel that inspired me at a younger age. In later years, my participation in astronomy olympiads in Paraguay contributed significantly to ensuring I was doing what I enjoyed the most. So when it was time to go to college, I was confident I wanted to do astronomy.

JPF: Tell me about your Silver medal in the Latin America Olympiad you got. How did you get involved in it? How did you prepare? How did it feel to compete?

CAO: Of course! 2017 was an enriching year since I was selected to represent Paraguay as part of a team at the Latin American Olympiad of Astronomy and Astronautics [OLAA] in Antofagasta, Chile. The preparation included intense months of learning astronomical concepts and solving theoretical problems, and I enjoyed learning about the different topics a lot, so this was a hobby for me. I was lucky to meet other astronomy enthusiasts from the region and visit the Very Large Telescope [VLT].

JPF: Nice to hear you visited my home country! I hope you enjoyed it! So, what do you think was the most challenging aspect of the experience? What was your most difficult topic? And your favorite?

CAO:  The most challenging aspect was making sense of the mathematics behind astronomy. Especially spherical trigonometry, which I avoid to this day. My favorite topic was pulsating variable stars since they are fundamental for measuring extragalactic distances. 

JPF: Ha! I also try to dodge trigonometry as much as I can. There is no escape I’m afraid. How is the program treating you so far? What have you learned?

CAO: The program is treating me great so far! I'm enjoying my time here. I’m learning much about everything in this field, from current research problems in astronomy, like the plane of satellite galaxies problem and the detailed formation of open clusters, to code development, machine learning, and even Astro twitter.

JPF: What lessons do you think you will be taking away from the program?

CAO: Science is collaborative. This is something that I thought I knew, yet being present here has added another layer to my understanding of this topic. Theorists, observers, engineers, and science communicators are all involved in producing/sharing knowledge. It was particularly touching to experience this during the release of JWST images. 

JPF:  What do you like to do outside astronomy? 

CAO: I love cooking, making coffee, and playing sand volleyball. I would always be down to do these activities, especially during summer. I also enjoy watching sunsets, writing poetry, and listening to music. 

JPF: What are your plans for the future? 

CAO: My plans for the near future include going to graduate school, volunteering for
Astronomy for Development, and traveling to more places.