About me

Hello!

Alyssa Bulatek (she/her) is a fifth-year grad student at UF Astro working with Dr. Adam Ginsburg. She studies the process of star formation in the Milky Way’s Galactic Center, using radio telescopes to measure light emitted by molecules (both simple and complex) that uniquely trace age milestones in the infancy of a forming star. In her future, Alyssa hopes to work at a small college as a lecturer and observatory manager. In her spare time, she enjoys reading (sci-fi/fantasy), playing video games (Ace Attorney), and cross-stitching (pixelated versions of impressionist paintings).

Interests

Research: I’m currently studying star formation in the Milky Way. Specifically, I’m trying to uncover molecular tracers of different processes related to star formation in a molecular cloud near the Galactic Center called “The Brick.” I am also broadly interested in observational radio astronomy and radio/infrared/optical instrumentation. You can check out some of the projects I have worked on in my CV.

Alyssa presenting her poster at From Stars to Galaxies II

Technical theatre and more: I have harbored a love for theatre since high school and worked in the costume shop at Macalester. My favorite musical is Big Fish. I am an avid player of the Nancy Drew PC game series, and I frequently indulge my nostalgia by playing other PC games from my childhood. I am a fan of the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons. I have recently been developing an interest in filmmaking.

Recent Activities

  • September 2023: PhD Candidacy Defense
    • I gave my candidacy presentation, entitled “The Brick Line Survey: Star Formation in Extreme Environments.” My presentation is available to watch here, with slides available here.
  • May 2023: Poster, New Eyes on the Universe: SKA and ngVLA
    • I attended New Eyes on the Universe: SKA and ngVLA in Vancouver, Canada, where I presented a poster about a potential ngVLA survey of distant star-forming galaxies with a newly-observed “dasar” line of methanol.
  • April 2023: Poster, Protostars and Planets VII
    • I attended Protostars and Planets VII in Kyoto, Japan, where I presented an updated poster on my project using The Brick as a tool to find new tracer molecules for star formation processes in extreme environments.