Written in the Stars: How a BU Undergrad Rediscovered Her Passion for Space Science
Astrophysics student Ariyana Bonab has studied the composition of 54,000 white dwarf stars—but she almost gave up on the subject
Written in the Stars: How a BU Undergrad Rediscovered Her Passion for Space Science
Written in the Stars: How a BU Undergrad Rediscovered Her Passion for Space Science
For a lot of people, the unknown is a scary prospect—but not for Boston University astrophysics student Ariyana Bonab (CAS’25). She’s long been curious about space and the universe’s biggest mysteries—what’s inside a black hole, what happens when stars die—and known she wanted to study astrophysics since she was a kid.
Growing up, Bonab’s dad—who was a physicist—helped nurture her fascination with the universe. They would talk about fun space facts and solve math problems at the dinner table together. Her dad died when she was 12. When Bonab came to BU, she entered as an astronomy and physics major.
But she soon experienced a big culture shock. Surrounded by students who had done higher-level classes in high school, Bonab began to feel like she was falling behind. Eventually, she chose to drop astrophysics.
“It was really sad,” she says. “This is a dream of mine that I’ve had for so long, and to have this heartbreak that you feel like you’re not smart enough to achieve what you’ve wanted your entire life…was really hard.”
But by the end of her sophomore year, Bonab had gained a newfound confidence in her abilities and realized she wanted to try again—and go back to astrophysics.
Now, she studies white dwarf stars in a research group led by JJ Hermes, a BU College of Arts & Sciences assistant professor of astronomy. White dwarf stars are the leftover cores of dying stars. In her project, funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, Bonab has looked at over 54,000 images of white dwarfs, and is trying to determine the composition of each one.
Despite initially feeling out of place at BU, working in Hermes’ group has reignited Bonab’s passion for space, helping her fall in love with the subject all over again.
“I think more than anything, my dad probably just wanted me to be happy no matter what field that was. I love what I do,” Bonab says. “With astronomy, there’s so much that we don’t know, and that’s what’s exciting—the unknown.”
In the video above, Bonab talks about learning about space with her dad, overcoming setbacks, and how she’s analyzing 54,000 white dwarf images.
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