Explore recordings of Aurora's webinars on YouTube. If you're interested in sharing
your research with the UCR community, we'd love to hear from you! Please contact us via email.
✨ In this AURORA Astro Seminar,
Dr. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly
(California State University, San Bernardino) explores both the faintest galaxies and the brightest
stellar beacons in our cosmic neighborhood.
Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies are among the oldest and dimmest systems ever found, offering a rare
glimpse into the first stages of galaxy formation. Using observations of systems like Hydrus I
together with cosmological simulations such as Phat ELVIS and FIRE-2, Dr. Rodriguez
Wimberly shows how environment and early quenching shaped their evolution—and how observational
limits can bias what we infer about their mass, size, and dark-matter content.
✨ In this AURORA Astro Webinar,
J. Sebastian Monzon
explores how cosmic variance shapes the stellar halos of Milky Way–like galaxies.
Using the fast SatGen model, they show how a few early accretion events can build most of a halo’s light—
and what this means for the Milky Way and future low-surface-brightness surveys.
✨ In this AURORA Astro Webinar,
Dr. Yashar Akrami
((IFT) UAM-CSIC) explores one of the most fascinating questions in cosmology:
What is the shape of the Universe?
In this talk, he discusses what it would mean for space to be finite or connected in unexpected ways —
and how we might detect such features. Using clues from the cosmic microwave background and looking ahead
to future galaxy and 21cm surveys, Dr. Akrami shows how patterns in the data could reveal the true structure
of the cosmos.
✨ In this AURORA Astro Webinar,
Dr. Irene Shivaei
(Centro de Astrobiología, Madrid) explores the evolving role of cosmic dust in galaxy formation and evolution,
from the nearby universe to the highest redshifts.
Using the unique capabilities of JWST MIRI and ALMA, she presents results on PAH emission,
obscured star formation, and dust attenuation curves across cosmic time, spanning
z = 0 to z = 9.
✨ Ever wondered what it takes to land a full-time teaching role at a community college?
Join UCR alum Dr. Christina Manzano as she shares her journey from graduate school to building
a rewarding career in teaching physics and astronomy.
With over five years of experience in the community college system, Christina offers a candid,
practical walkthrough of:
📁 Building a strong teaching portfolio
🗓️ Navigating the hiring timeline
🎓 Making the most of UCR’s teaching workshops & certificate programs
📝 Acing the interview and application process
✨ In this talk, Sam Cutler (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) explores the quenching of low-mass galaxies...
While massive galaxies are known to stop forming stars due to AGN feedback, mergers,
and structural changes, the mechanisms behind quenching in low-mass systems remain elusive.
Using data from cosmic noon (z~2), this talk investigates how and why these faint galaxies
cease star formation, providing crucial insights into the broader picture of galaxy evolution.
✨ In this talk, Dr. Anahita Alavi
(IPAC/Caltech) talks about dust attenuation in dwarf galaxies...
Dwarf galaxies are crucial for understanding galaxy evolution. Using data from Keck, JWST, and HST,
Dr. Alavi investigates how dust attenuation correlates with stellar mass and UV spectral slope at cosmic noon.
She also discusses the PASSAGE survey, a JWST parallel program extending dust measurements to lower-mass galaxies,
and looks ahead to what Euclid will reveal.
✨ In this talk, Devang Liya
(Newcastle University) explores the evolution of AGN tori at cosmic noon...
Using high-resolution JWST imaging and SED fitting, he presents a pilot study of 66 Seyfert galaxies,
combining archival multi-wavelength data to constrain the torus covering fraction for the first time
at these redshifts.
🌌 How do stars form, evolve, and shine through cosmic dust?
Using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have identified over 15,000 hidden star-forming regions
in 19 nearby galaxies, offering an unprecedented look at the earliest stages of stellar life!
💡 In this talk, Hamid Hasani (University of Alberta) explains their work using mid-infrared observations from JWST
to uncover deeply embedded star clusters, hidden in the dusty centers of galaxies and spiral arms.
✨ JWST’s infrared vision is revolutionizing how we study star birth and evolution, revealing structures never seen before!
✨ In this talk, Khashayar Kianfar explores active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their role in galaxy evolution...
Drawing from research during his PhD at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) in Brazil,
in collaboration with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Germany, this presentation highlights
insights into AGN feeding and feedback mechanisms.
Using high-resolution observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA),
combined with multi-wavelength data (X-rays, optical, infrared, and radio), Khashayar explores the
dynamics of cold molecular gas and its intricate interactions with AGN activity.
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