Where are you now and what are you doing:

Telescope Operator at Subaru Telescope. Maybe one day he’ll be accepted into grad school.

Areas of Specialty:

Telescope operation, Instrumentation, Astrometry, Optical distortion, Mechanical Design.

Places you have worked, interned or traveled to for your career:

Bio:

Aidan Walk is a telescope operator at Subaru Telescope. He obtained his B.S. in Astronomy from the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 2022, and worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Astronomy from 2021-2023. His interests are mainly in exoplanet imaging and spectroscopy. During his undergraduate degree, Aidan contributed to notable research projects such as smartphone screens as astrometric calibrators, IR detector development, and operation of the UH88 telescope. Aidan spends his days off playing in the ocean, making pottery, and working on cars.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO UH HILO PHYSICS AND ASTRONONY:

Direct access to world-premiere observatories. Aidan also loves the fish and fruit in Hawaii.

Advice for prospective/current students of UH Hilo Physics & Astronomy:

If you want to get involved, personally reach out to each and every one of the ten telescopes on Maunakea – if they tell you they do not have work for you, they are lying; talk to someone else.