Written by Nipuni Palliyaguru
I am a radio astronomer and postdoctoral researcher at Texas Tech University and a former postdoctoral researcher
at the Arecibo Observatory. This is a personal account of my experiences. The views expressed in this article are my
own and do not reflect those of an organization.
The first time I learned to use a radio telescope was with Arecibo. It was in January 2011, when one
of my graduate school supervisors, Dr. Dan Stinebring took me and three undergraduate students to
Puerto Rico to observe the scintillation of apulsar. Throughout the night, I watched the pulses of
light from the pulsar appear in real-time on an oscilloscope. Since that first night and throughout my
graduate school career, I visited Arecibo many times for various observation trips and scientific
meetings. From summer school for students and frequent visits from scientists from across the
globe, the observatory maintained a rich and vibrant academic culture.
I always wanted to work at an observatory, so, I was
thrilled when I was offered position as a postdoctoral
scientist at Arecibo in the fall of 2017. Secretly, I
really wanted to be like Ellie Harroway in the movie
“Contact” (who’s real-life protagonist, Jill Tarter, I later had the privilege of meeting at Arecibo). Living and
working in a predominantly Spanish speaking
community was a new experience after years of
working in the mainland US. I experienced a way of
doing science in a way that was intertwined with
culture. There was an overall familial atmosphere within the observatory. Remarkably, over seventy percent
of the scientific staff was female, and a large majority were women of color, just like me. Outside, Arecibo
had instilled a sense of pride in the people of Puerto
Rico. However, it didn’t take too long for me to
realize that things had drastically changed from the thriving environment I had witnessed during graduate school trips. Hurricane Maria had just hit, leaving the island with no power and water. The observatory
was also affected by some damages to the dish, reducing its efficiency significantly. The future of Arecibo was uncertain. The staff was tired of dealing with the disheartening recommendations of divesting the telescope and anxiously awaited the impending management change. Amidst this chaos, following the hurricane, the Arecibo staff worked tirelessly to get the telescope up and running.
Leading from the middle
In the late spring of 2018, Arecibo underwent a drastic change in management that particularly
affected the junior scientists at the observatory. Many of the senior staff left, crippling daily
operations and leaving the postdocs to take on many extra observatory-level responsibilities. For
a few months, Arecibo was defunct academically. There were no workshops, no summer schools,
and interaction with the rest of the world was minimal. We rarely had scientists visit for observations
or colloquia. It was hard to perform daily duties like analyzing data and writing papers because of
the uncertainty looming over us.
In February 2019, I, along with several other postdocs, organized an “Arecibo Futures” meeting
to bring the management, scientists, engineers, and the local community together to talk about
a science blueprint for the observatory spanning the next decade. The Astronomy and Astrophysics
Decadal Survey, which funding agencies use to identify transformative science and set funding
priorities for theupcoming decade, was also happening at this time. For the survey, we submitted
several white papers highlighting the importance of Arecibo and the role of ground-based facilities
in terms of training the next generation of astronomers, with the hope of increasing the funding
profile of the observatory and attracting new funders.
We also identified the need to attract new users for
the observatory and restarted the joint Arecibo-
Green Bank single dish summer schools for
students. About 15 undergraduate students
attended the school to learn about how to observe
with Arecibo. Throughout this time there were
moments of not being taken seriously and
undermining efforts which women of color, I am
sure, are quite accustomed to. However, I was
fortunate to get the support of my Ph.D. supervisor,
Dr. Maura McLaughlin, and other well-wishers for
my research and outreach activities and other
ventures.
Students of Puerto Rico
During this time, I was thinking of ways to involve undergraduate students on the island in active
research at the observatory since I was already working closely with the University of Puerto Rico
(UPR) Mayaguez campus on various projects. Undergraduate students from institutions on the
island often visited the observatory for colloquia and special seminars and there was a lot of
interestto get actively involved, but there wasn’t a direct throughline to getting involved in
research at Arecibo.
In May 2019, the Arecibo receiver engineer Felix
Fernandez and I visited the UPR Mayaguez campus to
talk to students about potential research projects.
Having laid the groundwork for potential
undergraduate research, I worked closely with
student groups to organize a data reduction and
science communication workshop at UPR. At
the workshop, students learned to process Arecibo
pulsar data. The goal of the science communications workshop was to build an island-wide network of
trained ambassadors educating various audiences
about astrophysical concepts.
It was heartening to see the efforts by students to
make these workshops a success and the plans they
Final thoughts
At the end of summer in 2019, I left Puerto Rico for a position in the mainland U.S. because I
wanted to focus more on my research. However, for Arecibo, the funding challenges remained.
It was devastating to watch the collapse almost two years later. Like many others in the
astronomy community, I mourned the loss with extreme sadness. Nonetheless, something that
continued to amaze me is the commitment and resilience of the staff throughout those
challenging times.
As for me personally, I carry the burden of being a woman of color in academia. Arecibo was
one of the first places that challenged me to step out of my academic research comfort zone
and get a taste of what doing research in a resource-poor environment is like. In other words,
I owe my recent growth as a professional to Arecibo. Even though there were many challenges,
I am glad that at Arecibo, I found a group of supportive colleagues and the opportunity to grow
as a scientist and a community advocate.
I strongly believe that scientific research should be accessible to all, especially to those who
have been traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Arecibo was a symbol of pride for
Puerto Ricans and was a source of inspiration for students. With proper resources and a vision,
it could have pioneered untapped scientific talent in Puerto Rico. Considering Arecibo’s role in
education and outreach, providing opportunities for minority scientists, and cultural exposures
for the next generation of scientists in the mainland U.S and Puerto Rico, the loss of the
telescope is unquantifiable. Therefore, it is crucial that rebuilding plans are successful. I hope
that Arecibo will soon be on its feet again to continue its invaluable service to both astronomers
and the citizens of Puerto Rico.
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Bio
Dr. Nipuni Palliyaguru is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy
at Texas Tech University. Before joining Texas Tech, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at
the Arecibo Observatory and Texas Tech University. She received her Ph.D. from West Virginia
University where she was supervised by Prof. Maura McLaughlin. Dr. Palliyaguru’s research
focuses on transient events in the radio sky such as supernovae, pulsars, and Fast Radio Bursts.
