In this series of posts, we sit down with a few of the keynote speakers of the 246th AAS meeting to learn more about them and their research. You can see a full schedule of their talks here, and read our other interviews here!
At the 246th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting, astrophysicists will gather in Anchorage, Alaska, for a week of engaging talks and panels. This year’s conference kicks off with the Fred Kavli Plenary Lecture, given by Prof. Steven Finkelstein. Prof. Steven Finkelstein is a professor at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin and the Principal Investigator of the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey. We spoke to Prof. Finkelstein about his journey through astronomy, the thrill of breaking redshift records, and his advice for students eager to dive into the early universe.
The Redshift Rabbit Hole
Prof. Finkelstein has always had his eyes on the stars. “I’ve always been interested in astronomy,” he says, “and I had an amazing high school teacher who really encouraged me.” That early spark carried him through to college, where he didn’t hesitate for a second to pursue astronomy as a career. Today, he leads major observational efforts to understand how and when galaxies first formed and serves as Director of UT Austin’s Cosmic Frontier Center. But even before JWST launched, his work pushed the boundaries of the early universe.
During his graduate studies, Prof. Finkelstein’s research started off closer to home, looking at supernova remnants and galaxies at redshift ~ 1. But everything changed during his postdoc. “I got a chance to look at Hubble data of galaxies at redshift 7 – 8 (read here), which were the highest-redshift galaxies known at the time, and I didn’t look back,” he recalls. That shift led to his deep dive into the epoch of reionization, the era when the first galaxies and black holes lit up the cosmos.
Leading the Cosmic Frontier
Fast forward to JWST’s first year in space, and Prof. Finkelstein is leading one of its flagship programs: the CEERS survey. CEERS used JWST’s imaging and spectroscopy to explore 100 square arcminutes of sky and peer back over 13 billion years. “We expected to see galaxies up to redshift 10,” he says, “but the galaxies were brighter than expected, so we could see even farther.” But CEERS wasn’t just about pushing the distance frontier.
Despite being one of JWST’s earliest programs, CEERS has already transformed our view of the early universe. The survey has uncovered surprisingly bright and massive galaxies at redshifts beyond 10. These discoveries challenge our understanding of how quickly galaxies could have formed and grown in the early universe. CEERS has also revealed stunning galactic structures, like spirals and irregular shapes, much earlier than expected, suggesting that galaxies developed complexity sooner than models predicted. On top of that, CEERS spectra have pointed to early signs of active galactic nuclei (which Astrobites have covered in more detail here and here) and rapid chemical enrichment, offering tantalizing clues about black hole growth and star formation in the cosmic dawn. CEERS is proving to be a scientific goldmine, and it’s just getting started.
Managing an extensive collaboration like CEERS also came with new challenges. “We’re not trained to do project management,” he laughs. “But open communication is key. That solves everything.”
Team Up, Speak Up, Dive In
Prof. Finkelstein had thoughtful advice for students considering entering astronomy: “Don’t hesitate to get involved. And don’t believe that seniors always know better. That’s not usually the case!” He encourages young astronomers to build collaborations, both within and outside their groups. And though many students worry about the job market, he reminds them to hold on to what brought them to astronomy in the first place.
His plenary Lecture at AAS 246 will focus on the CEERS program: why the team chose what they did, the science they’ve uncovered so far, and where they hope to go next. As he reflects on the honor of representing his collaboration, he quickly shares the credit. “It’s impossible to do this alone,” he says. “I’m incredibly proud of the CEERS team.”
Learn about the early universe at Prof. Finkelstein’s Fred Kavli Plenary Lecture on Monday, June 9, at 8:00 am AKDT at #AAS246!
Edited by: Lucas Brown
Featured Image Credit: AAS
