Ashini Modi

"I have been interested in astronomy since forever! I remember being 9 years old, attending talks at our local astronomy club meetings, and barely understanding half of what the speakers were saying. I had so many questions! Attending the astronomical club meetings, I felt shy and out of place. Most everyone there was a male either in their 40s or older, and there I was, a 9 year old girl who was too short to even see the slideshow. My parents being both medical professionals, couldn't answer all of my questions, and each answer just prompted more questions. That’s when my mom started to contact people in hopes of finding someone who could mentor me in astronomy. Most didn’t respond because not very many astrophysicists have the time to be a mentor for a 4th grader! But, one person did, and that’s when I got my first mentor and my first hands-on introduction to astronomy. I became particularly interested in gravitational wave astronomy in 5th grade when I read an article about LIGO at my school’s book fair. (My favorite gravitational event is GW170104 because it happened on my birthday!) After that, I begged my parents to visit LIGO, so we drove down to Livingston where I was absolutely awestruck by the facility and the amazing scientists. Since then it has always been a dream of mine to be a part of the science that goes on at LIGO and that was finally made possible last year when I met Dr. Cavaglia at an AAS conference and conducted gravitational wave research with him this year. Being able to conduct astrophysics research as only a 10th grader has shown me that astronomy is a field open to anyone, no matter how young you are. All someone needs is the right resources and a mentor to guide them in the right direction like I had. I recognize that this was only possible because I was fortunate enough to have parents and mentors who made sure that I had the resources to explore my imagination."

Ashini Modi is a Sophomore at Caddo Parish Magnet High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. She been studying the spatial distribution of black hole mergers in the universe using gravitational waves detected by LIGO and Virgo. Ashini has also founded an organization called “Students to Scientists” in which she conducts STEM presentations and experiments with kids at local libraries who may not have the same resources she does. Through her efforts, she seeks to make sure that every child has the opportunity to explore any field they want to and that they aren’t shied away from it because of their age or background. In her free time, Ashini likes to volunteer in her community, play the violin, make documentaries, paint, garden, bake, and hike. You can follow Ashini on Instagram at @asteroid_ashini.