My name is Vincent Antonio Smedile (smeh-deal-lay). I am a Doctoral (Ph.D.) Student and Graduate Fellow at The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy and The Center for Cosmology & AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP). I am studying Theoretical Stellar Structure & Evolution, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, and Galactic Chemical Evolution.

As a Founding Father once said: "Science is my passion, politics is my duty." I choose both because while science has my heart, my sense of obligation to serve American society and to improve humanity is just as strong. To that end, I am aspiring to obtain a Ph.D. in astrophysics and enter science policy and administration. As the queer son of a Filipina immigrant, my experience in STEM has not always been easy. Sometimes I found that the bridge of a Starfleet ship was more welcoming than the field I was in. I hope to help others find their own path the same way I did, and use their scientific drive to pick themselves up and advance themselves, human understanding, and the national good.

I am an alumnus of the Pennsylvania State University with Baccalaureate degrees in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Political Science. During my undergraduate career, I worked in the McEntaffer Group Instrumentation Lab on soft X-ray spectroscopy and sounding rockets. I am also a former Schreyer Honors Scholar, a four-year Homer F. Braddock Scholar, and a Paterno Fellow.

My goals as of now are to complete my master's of science and Ph.D. degrees and go into science policy and/or the administration of research facilities, labs, etc.

At first glance, my areas of study and my goals may seem out of place and even unrelated. The hard sciences and politics are generally thought to be wholly separate entities and even disparage one another at times. But I believe both are vital and wholly interconnected. Throughout history, politics has driven, funded, and steered science. Likewise, science and astronomy have built wonders that have redefined states and societies for generations to come. Both are powerful tools and dangerous weapons depending on who handles them. It is my hope to combine both passions and follow my heart in research and improve our world by helping to steer the course of research in the policymaking sphere through the administrative work of one of the United States' great laboratories, agencies, or National Academies.

Please feel free to look at my CV or my current research. 

Live long, and prosper!