"Ultra–faint Dwarf Galaxies: Their Evolutionary Histories & Galactic Correlations"

EB Astronomy Club presents, "Ultra–faint Dwarf Galaxies: Their Evolutionary Histories & Galactic Correlations" The Early Universe continues to be largely elusive — with many questions unanswered involving the origins and evolutionary histories of the smallest, most ancient galaxies — ultra–faint dwarfs (UFDs). In recent work, Dr. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly has placed limits on the mechanism responsible for the shut down of star formation in our UFDs and used them to constrain the Milky Way’s dark matter halo mass. Furthering this line of work, her current near–field cosmology projects observationally decipher elemental abundance trends amongst stars in ultra–faint satellite galaxies and how these trends compare to simulated UFDs and observed globular clusters. These mostly yet–to–be–explored elemental trends of Milky Way ultra–faint dwarf satellites help to refine which are true, pristine relics of the first galaxies ever formed and can serve as the most optimal cosmic sites to search for signatures of the first stars ever formed. Dr. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at CSU San Bernardino, specializing in Near-Field Cosmology and the evolution of ultrafaint dwarf galaxies. A passionate advocate for equity in STEM, she serves as Director of Mentorship for the Cal-Bridge Program and sits on the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Board of Directors. A first-generation college graduate and Southern California native, Katy's journey spans Mt. San Antonio College to a Ph.D. from UC Irvine and a prestigious NSF MPS Ascend Fellowship at UC Riverside. Outside academia, she enjoys hiking, anime, and adventures with her two young children.