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GRFP fellow Steven Villanueva Jr., a veteran, researches exoplanets, planets that orbit other stars.
NSF fellow Steven Villanueva Jr. is at The Ohio State University (OSU) researching exoplanets, or planets that orbit other stars. He does so by precisely measuring the brightness of the host star, then monitoring the star over time for the dip in brightness when a planet passes in front of it. Villanueva, who built a robotic and automated telescope to study exoplanets, is the president of the OSU chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American Scientists (SACNAS). He has served as the Department of Astronomy's representative on the Breakfast of Science Champions (BOSC) organizing committee, which brings local middle school students to various science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) departments to engage in hands-on demonstrations and meet with scientists. Villanueva is a veteran, having completed his service as a senior airman in 2007. He served as an aircraft support equipment mechanic.
Credit: Steven Villanueva Jr.
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