Vy Tran has always had a lot of questions. As a third-year Bachelor of Science student, she’s looking for answers.

“When I was a kid, I spent most of my time wondering how things worked and why things happened,” she says. “When I looked at the sky, I remember asking, ‘Why are you following me, Moon?’” At that moment, she says, she fell in love with everything in the sky – the moon, the sun, the (not-so-little and twinkly) stars. 

Now, she is blending that love of astronomy with her passion for physics and computer science. 

Working with Dr. Stefan Cartledge, Tran’s research aims to create an efficient method to test the nebular hypothesis. The theory, she explains, suggests that shockwaves from a supernova explosion can trigger a nearby interstellar cloud to collapse and lead to the formation of new stars.

After much planning and preparation, Tran spent several chilly nights at the University of Alberta's Hesje Observatory, about an hour southeast of Edmonton. Using a 17″ Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK17) telescope, she captured astronomical photos of newborn stars close to the expanding regions of supernova remnants.

Collecting that important data didn’t come without its challenges. Some nights the telescope behaved oddly or overheated, the dome wouldn’t function properly or the laptop refused to connect to the system. Each of those experiences, she says, offered bonus lessons in perseverance – and patience. 

“I love what I am doing, but there are definitely bumps along the way.” 

Now that Tran has moved on to analyzing the data she collected, she’s encountering new challenges, including the reality that she might not find what she was looking for. 

“I am slightly disappointed that I might not get the result I desire, but Dr. Cartledge says that it is normal with research to not always get what we want,” she says. “Throughout this process, I’ve learned to enjoy the journey rather than the final destination.”

It’s a lesson that will serve Tran well into the future. She plans to continue finding ways to use technology to support space exploration and understand the universe. 

“I think the biggest thing I will take away from this experience is the confirmation that I love what I am studying and doing.”

Know a student who is doing great things? Email communications@macewan.ca to suggest them for a Student Snapshot story.