I knew I was interested in astronomy and saw that A&M-Commerce had a wider range of astronomy courses than other universities in North Texas. I was sold when I saw the archaeoastronomy class and I don’t think I could have been happier elsewhere.
Rebecca Preston Graduate Assistant Researcher
- Alum
- Graduate Assistant
- Student
Rebecca Preston's grandfather worked at Rocketdyne for nearly three decades and helped build the engines that sent the first astronauts to the moon! The space books he often gave her as a child sparked her love for astronomy. She graduated from Allen High School in 2009 and attended Collin College, earning her associate degree in 2017 shortly before her twin boys were born. After being a stay-at-home mother for two years, she earned her bachelor's degree in physics with an astrophysics emphasis from A&M-Commerce in 2021. She is now pursuing her master's degree in physics and aspires to become a professor or work at NASA or a national lab.
A Conversation with Rebecca
Why did you choose to attend A&M-Commerce?
After being a stay-at-home mom with my twin boys for their first two years, I decided to earn my bachelor’s degree. I knew I was interested in astronomy and saw that A&M-Commerce had a wider range of astronomy courses than other universities in North Texas. I was sold when I saw the archaeoastronomy class and I don't think I could have been happier elsewhere.
I really enjoy the physics community at A&M-Commerce, especially my fellow graduate students. We are a close-knit group of friends who laugh together through the highs and lows. I owe a big shout-out to Amber, Ben, Eric and Jake for showing up and being there for each other every day!
Which professor or person on campus has positively influenced you? How so?
Dr. William Newton has been instrumental in helping me realize my potential. He has spent endless hours tutoring me, answering questions and providing the support I need to succeed. As a mother, I have to make the most of my time on campus to absorb as much as possible because my children are my world once I'm home and he kindly helps me do that. Often in a physics class, Dr. Newton will say, “embrace the struggle, it's where you learn.” This has been a valuable lesson that applies to more than just academics and it has helped me learn how much I love exploring new physics. I'm extremely grateful to Dr. Newton, who continues to be an amazing mentor and source of encouragement and support. It's because of him that I have been able to pursue my passion while still supporting my children's needs.
What research projects have you worked on? What was your role?
I have worked with Dr. Newton since November 2019 to better understand the force that holds neutrons and protons together using data from an experiment to calculate the neutron skin thickness of 208Pb. In nuclei that contain more neutrons than protons, like 208Pb, the extra neutrons form a ‘skin’ around the outer part of the nucleus. The neutron skin is much like the outer core of a neutron star; if we measure it to be thicker, then we expect our star to have a larger radius. From this we can then constrain equations of state for neutron stars—which describe the pressure in terms of density throughout the star—to get information about their internal structure. Recently, we have collaborated with groups in the US, UK, Canada and Germany to work on using resonant shattering flares—when the crust cracks and releases a fireball—and astrophysical data from the NICER and LIGO telescopes to constrain the neutron star equation of state. I have learned valuable skills by writing my own codes, writing scientifically for journal publications and learning to handle large amounts of data. The knowledge I have gained about research methods and experience in computational nuclear astrophysics is invaluable.
Educational Background
- M.S., Physics, Texas A&M University-Commerce, May 2023
- B.S., Physics with astrophysics emphasis, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2021
- A.A., Art, Collin College, 2017
Honors and Awards
- NASA Texas Space Grant Consortium Fellowship, 2022
- Accepted to Joliot-Curie Nuclear Physics Summer School, 2022
- Accepted to National Nuclear Physics Summer School at MIT, 2022
- Outstanding Graduate Student, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2022
- Outstanding Graduate Presentation, Annual Research Symposium, 2022
- Outstanding Undergraduate Oral Presentation, Texas Section of the American Physical Society, 2020
- Undergraduate Dean's List and President's List, 2019/2020
- Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University-Commerce