OU Astronomy Professor Receives National Recognition For Research Of Distant Galaxy

A professor at the University of Oklahoma took her research light-years beyond her campus. 

She has traveled the globe to study galaxies, and she made some discoveries along the way. Her research gained national attention. 

Assistant Professor of Astrophysics Nikole Nielsen has always tried to venture beyond her comfort zone. She hopes to deepen people’s understanding of the cosmos and help people understand our place in the universe. 

“The universe is kind of a wild place," Nielsen said. “We’re pretty insignificant on the large scale of things.” 

Nielsen spends her time thinking outside the box. She’s become a rising star in her field of work, studying images to infinity, and far beyond. 

“I study how galaxies evolve,” Nielsen said. “It’s quite impressive.” 

Her research requires telescopes like the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. “That’s a big ten-meter telescope,” Nielsen said. “It’s quite mind-blowing when you see it in person.”  

This telescope on the Mauna Kea volcano helped capture a galaxy 270 million light-years away. “It’s taken that long for the light to get to us,” Nielsen said. “What we see is not what the galaxy looks like at its present time.” 

Nielsen studies the gas around this web of stars and planets to understand how galaxies evolve over time. “A good census of all of the different elements that we need – is useful for understanding how we got to be,” Nielsen said. 

The science journal Nature Astronomy published her work to reach people around the globe and help us understand our place in the stars. “As a kid, if I knew that this was my job, I would not have believed it,” she said. 

Nielsen may have found her place in history, but she believes anyone with infinite curiosity will find a place they never imagined was possible. “Just broadening your horizon and being open to new things,” Nielsen said. 

Nielsen said she hopes her research can help other astronomers study other galaxies to advance knowledge in this subject. Visit the Nature Astronomy website to learn more about Nielsen’s work.