Two College of Science Students Receive Astronaut Foundation Scholarship

ASF Students 2015College of Science seniors Colleen Robichaux, a native of Houma, La., and Austin Baldwin, a native of Baton Rouge, are recipients the prestigious Astronaut Foundation Scholarship, one of the most significant scholarships given to undergraduate students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. The scholars were named among 38 recipients from more than 30 institutions throughout the U.S.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, created by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts, was established to help the United States retain its leadership in innovation by encouraging exceptional students to pursue advanced education and careers in STEM fields. Scholars are selected on the basis of initiative, creativity and academic achievement.

“With this honor, I hope to continue researching to make new and exciting discoveries,” said Colleen Robichaux, senior mathematics major.

Currently, Robichaux is investigating the K-Knuth equivalence of increasing tableaux under the guidance of Professor Pasha Pylyavskyy at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Her LSU faculty mentor is Professor of Mathematics Frank Neubrander.

“I appreciate that someone who is actively seeking research experience can easily find a professor with whom to work, but what I find most amazing is the dedication of the LSU College of Science to encourage all students to become involved in undergraduate research,” said Robichaux. “When I heard about mathematical research as a freshman, I was intimidated and never suspected that it would be my future, so I was shocked by the encouragement from my professors to join undergraduate research groups.”

After graduation, Robichaux plans to pursue a PhD at Linnaeus University in Sweden.

“The College of Science has opened doors to many opportunities,” said Baldwin. “I was able to get involved in research very early on and this award is just one example of how that can pay off,” said Austin Baldwin, senior physics major.

Baldwin has been researching x-ray binaries in the Galactic bulge under the leadership of Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy Robert Hynes. Currently, he is studying the proper motion of blue stragglers in Galactic globular clusters at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. He is also involved in a project to discover Hot Jupiter transits in Messier 4 using data from K2. After graduation, he plans to pursue a graduate degree in observational astronomy.

  

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