A Diplomat's influence reaches everywhere — even the skies of Japan. This summer, a handful of astrophysics majors and their professor enjoyed a two-week trip to Japan that was “part pulsar science expedition, part cultural exchange related to the NANOStars program at F&M," says Fronefield Crawford, Charles A. Dana Professor of Physics and Astronomy. 

The trip, which was supported by a National Science Foundation grant, was "an opportunity for the F&M students to engage with Japanese students conducting similar research at Kumamoto University,” said Crawford, head of the gravitational wave-detecting program at F&M and the director of F&M’s Grundy Observatory. 

Off-campus study experiences like these aren’t simply time away from campus; they’re meaningfully woven into the entire F&M academic journey. The students — Tai Jespersen '26, Adeon Muyskens '26, Volkan Turan '27, Haunah Thomas '27, and alumna Melanie Ficarra '24 — spent the fortnight abroad converting classroom theory into hands-on practice, all while building valuable connections with their international peers.

"I had the opportunity to meet with Japanese students working in various fields and learn about their research as I made connections from all over the world," said Turan, a double major in astrophysics and computer science from Istanbul.

Turan, who is also a Japanese minor, said he had the chance to communicate with the students and local people in their language.

"Both helped me improve my Japanese skills and helped me to connect with them on a deeper level," he said.

Pulsars are spinning neutron stars that emit a beam of radio waves as they spin, which we detect with radio telescopes as a series of regular pulses. The students collaborated to search a data set for very slow spinning pulsars in a clump of nearby galaxies known as the Magellanic Clouds, install software to search for extraterrestrial signals in a pulsar data set, search for dark matter signatures in pulsar data, and search for highly accelerated binary pulsars orbiting massive stellar companions, such as black holes. 

"I was introduced to parts of the research process for our pulsar projects that were previously unknown to me," said Thomas, a double major in astrophysics and English. "I now have a better understanding of, and deeper involvement in, that process."

Muyskens agreed, adding that the experience solidified his post-graduate aspirations.

"Doing research at Kumamoto University exposed me to new scientific approaches and perspectives, and reaffirmed my desire to obtain a master’s degree and eventually a doctorate," he said.

While they were in Kumamoto, a city on the island of Kyushu in the southern part of Japan, the students toured a medieval castle; took a 15-mile bike ride along rail trails outside the city; visited Mount Aso, an active volcano; and went swimming with the locals in a river. 

"Outside of the lab, one of the most rewarding parts of the trip was forming close connections with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures," Muyskens said. 

Haunah Thomas '27 Reaches for the Stars in Writing and Research

Haunah Thomas ’27 was one of five F&M Diplomats to travel to Japan to conduct research at Kumamoto University. A love of science fiction inspired Thomas to choose a college where she could get hands-on research experience in astrophysics while still pursuing her creative passions.

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