A groundbreaking discovery has revealed the presence of a blazar—a supermassive black hole with a jet pointed directly at Earth—at an extraordinary redshift of 7.0. The object, designated VLASS J041009.05−013919.88 (J0410−0139), is the most distant blazar ever identified, providing a rare glimpse into the epoch of reionization when the universe was less than 800 million years old.
Recent News
ALMA and the Event Horizon Telescope: Moving Towards a Close-Up of a Black Hole and its Jets
An international research team has shown that the Event Horizon Telescope will be able to make exciting images of a supermassive black hole and its jets in the galaxy NGC 1052. The measurements, made with interconnected radio telescopes, also confirm strong magnetic fields close to the black hole’s edge.
Black Hole Explorer Hopes to Reveal New Details of Supermassive Black Holes
Anew agreement between the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) will help the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) take its next steps – into space.
2016 AUI Trustee Scholarship winners
Below are the winners of the 2016 AUI Trustee Scholarship competition conducted by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. These
students will each receive an award of $3,500 per year to aid in defraying expenses at the college of their choice.
Lara Baudler
Lara Baudler is a senior at Pocahontas County High School where she is likely to graduate as valedictorian. Throughout high school, she has held
many leadership positions and has strived to help out in her community on many occasions. Lara is the president of both the National and Spanish
Honor Societies. She has published several articles in the Pocahontas Times Newspaper and promoted Spanish culture on the local radio channel.
Lara was also an author at her local Warrior Word School Newspaper. She was a member of the school’s Animal Advocacy Club and Student
Leadership Council and has been in the Girls Scouts since first grade.
Lara received second place in the National Spanish Exam and has received several awards at the local foreign language festival. Lara is fluent in
German and knows a decent amount of Spanish. She also has had a Ham radio license since she was 12. Her interests include: traveling, spending
time in nature, hiking, art, cultures, nutrition, environmental issues, sailing, philosophy, medicine, and science fiction. She plans on pursuing a
medical degree at an accredited four year institute.
Lara is the daughter of Anja and Wolfgang Baudler. Wolfgang has been a Systems Analyst at the Green Bank site for fifteen years.
David Braatz
David is a senior in the Math, Engineering & Science Academy at Albemarle High School, where he currently holds a 4.75 GPA. He is a member of
the National Honor Society as well as the Math and Spanish Honor Societies, and he is an AP Scholar. David has been a member of the AHS Crew
Team since his sophomore year, and he was Captain of the team as a junior and senior. As a junior, he placed second in singles sculling at the
Virginia “States” competition, and twelfth at the “Nationals.” One of his favorite crew experiences was racing at the Head of the Charles in 2015.
David has also run on the AHS Cross Country Team. David participated in CA Robotics, and he is a member of the Northrup Grumman High School
Involvement Partnership, a selective engineering program where his teams have worked on projects that include building a remote-controlled
blimp and a wireless charging device. David spends time in the summers maintaining livestock at Sylvanaqua Farms. He enjoys playing the guitar
in his free time, and lately he has taken to building his own effects pedals. David is planning to study Aerospace Engineering at either the
University of Virginia or Virginia Tech.
David is the son of Lena and Jim Braatz. Jim is a Scientist at the NAASC in Charlottesville.
Sam Kim
Sam is currently a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School. He is a member of the Math Team and Computer Team and volunteers as a system
administrator for the school computer systems. He also volunteers to teach math once a week at the Korean Community Center. Sam has a
passion for cybersecurity and attended many national and international computer security competitions and won prizes. He intends to pursue a
Computer Science degree at the Carnegie-Melon University.
Sam is the son of Dongchan and Marie Kim. Dongchan is a Data Analyst in Charlottesville.
Elizabeth Moeser
Elizabeth is a senior at Albuquerque Academy. She maintains a 4.36 GPA and was recently inducted into the Cum Laude Society, the highest
academic recognition at her school. She is a member of the Community Service Executive Board, which oversees the school’s many community
service projects. She is the Guest Chef Coordinator for her school’s monthly commitment to Project Share and the Ronald McDonald House. In
2014, she received the Albuquerque Academy Service Leadership Award. Elizabeth is a dancer and choreographer for Academy’s Dance Troupe.
She is a four-time Varsity Letter recipient in Community Service and has earned three letters in Dance.
Outside of school, Elizabeth is a co-leader and tutor for Read to Excel, a program which works with refugee children. She is also a member of the
Teen Ambassador Board for Ronald McDonald House Charities of New Mexico. In 2015, Elizabeth was selected as an ANNpower Fellow and
attended the Vital Voices Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. She is a co-recipient of the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award from the
New Mexico Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for her work with Read to Excel, and received the Amy Biehl Youth Spirit
Award from New Mexico Voices for Children for her enthusiasm and breadth of community service work. She was also awarded the Certificat
d’Excellence from the Alliance Française d’Albuquerque for her achievements in the study of French.
Last summer Elizabeth volunteered with the non-profit Centro Ecológico Akumal located on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. While there she earned
her PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Certification. For her Senior Project, Elizabeth is currently working with the Head Veterinarian at the
Albuquerque Biological Park.
In the fall, Elizabeth will attend the University of Southern California where she has been awarded the Presidential Scholarship. She will pursue a
degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Oceans, Life and People.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Rich and Sharon Moeser. Rich is a software engineer in the NMS group in Socorro.
Recent News
Astronomers Detect Earliest and Most Distant Blazar in the Universe
A groundbreaking discovery has revealed the presence of a blazar—a supermassive black hole with a jet pointed directly at Earth—at an extraordinary redshift of 7.0. The object, designated VLASS J041009.05−013919.88 (J0410−0139), is the most distant blazar ever identified, providing a rare glimpse into the epoch of reionization when the universe was less than 800 million years old.
ALMA and the Event Horizon Telescope: Moving Towards a Close-Up of a Black Hole and its Jets
An international research team has shown that the Event Horizon Telescope will be able to make exciting images of a supermassive black hole and its jets in the galaxy NGC 1052. The measurements, made with interconnected radio telescopes, also confirm strong magnetic fields close to the black hole’s edge.
Black Hole Explorer Hopes to Reveal New Details of Supermassive Black Holes
Anew agreement between the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) will help the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) take its next steps – into space.