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The Science of 'Interstellar'

Despite being one of Christopher Nolan’s lower rated films, Interstellar has been a very well liked movie by millions of sci-fi fans. It continues to be a phenomenon among cinephiles even after a decade since its release. It was recently re-released in theatres for it's 10th anniversary and fans couldn't be more excited to relive the experience on the big screen.

Having watched it myself more than half a dozen times, I wasn't particularly happy about not being able to catch it in the theatres this time, but I have a feeling there will be other opportunities in the future. The fact that I have been fortunate enough to experience the Oscar-winning visuals on a gigantic IMAX screen once before is consolation enough.

High praises aside, I think it's time to get a little critical. By attempting to tackle concepts such as space travel, time-dilation, multiple dimensions, etc. while staying as true to the background science as possible, Interstellar is probably one of, if not the most, ambitious sci-fi film of all time. So it isn't surprising that the scientific accuracy of the movie has been a topic of debate among YouTube videos featuring physics students and even high profile science communicators like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chris Hadfield.

Even as commentators view the movie with their ‘critic’ hat on, they find themselves hard pressed to come up with valid arguments against the science behind the story. After all, Nobel laureate and astrophysicist Kip Thorne was consulted closely during the making of the film. He even came out with a book titled “The Science of Interstellar” post release. The book, which was optional reading material for a ‘Black Holes’ course I took in undergrad, seems to explain away even the most implausible scenarios.

Still, there ought to be something that isn't scientifically accurate, right? After all it is a nearly 3 hour movie! Although this wasn't something I observed on my own, there is one major thing - the rendering of Gargantua, the black hole. One of the most frequently pointed out inaccuracy has to do with the lighting around Gargantua. Since it is a rotating black hole, the light on one side should be brighter and blue-shifted in contrast to the other side which would appear dimmer and red-shifted. Although this inaccuracy seems to be more of an artistic choice by Nolan, rather than an error. After all, the rendering which resulted from the money and computational power dedicated to visuals only Hollywood can produce - at least at the time - resulted in a handful of scientific publications. 

In conclusion, Interstellar is as close to a perfect a piece of science fiction could get...just kidding. The reality is I'm too biased to want to find something wrong with the movie but I also need to read Thorne's book to fully understand the science behind. I suppose that itself is a flaw although not a scientific one. More seriously however, the movie fails to explain the effects of intense radiation that the astronauts would be subject to during prolonged space travel, particularly at such close proximity to a black hole. 

- SV   
Feb 19, 2025

Volcanism in the Solar System

I will be taking my comprehensive exam in a couple of weeks so I figured I might as well start preparing for it. I'm still not sure I finalized a proper strategy for preparation, even after meeting with all my committee members and hearing their thoughts. But volcanism in general seemed like a good place to start since all of my projects touch upon the topic in one way or another. I don't quite remember how I stumbled upon this 2009 nature paper titled 'Volcanism in the Solar System' by Lionel Wilson, but it provides a simple overview of the process without getting into too much technical detail. 

Volcanism is a process by which a planetary body transports internal heat towards the surface. The paper talks about two main types on volcanism seen in the solar system - silicate and cryogenic. Silicate volcanism is observed currently (or recently) on the Earth, Mars, Venus and Io, whereas the Moon and Mercury display ample evidence for a volcanically active past. Larger moons of gas giants, such as Ganymede, Titan, Europa, Triton and Enceladus on the other hand typically exhibit cryovolcanism where the advected liquid is water as opposed to magma produced through silicate volcanism. It should be noted however that evidence for the presence of liquid water on some of these icy bodies is not fully conclusive.

Of the silicate rich bodies in the solar system, the Earth appears to be the only place to show evidence for plate tectonics which leads to volcanic activity that is location-dependent. As a result the Earth exhibits a wide range of volcanic constructs whereas shield volcanos tend to be more common on Venus, Mars and Io. The Moon and Mercury on the other hand lack large volcanos but are dominated by extensive sheet-like lava flows. 

Despite the variation in volcanic products among the silicate-rich bodies, basaltic magma seems to dominate the mineralogic composition on all of them. 

- SV   
Nov 7, 2024

Experiences of non-male students in STEM fields

The research paper by Becker explores the experiences of non-male graduate students in male dominated STEM disciplines. The purpose of this study is to understand these experiences and use them to help retain or improve the participation of non-male students beyond the undergraduate level. 

Key takeaways:

• Percentage of female students in undergraduate STEM programs is typically around 56%, but the percentage drops lower when it comes to graduate programs. This is despite the increase in efforts over the past 20 years to reduce the enrollment gap

• Engineering and math-focused disciplines tend to see lower female enrollment rates both at the undergraduate and graduate levels

  • Academically successful women in these disciplines were reported to leave the field as a consequence of not feeling accepted

• Participants interviewed for the study described STEM as "competitive" and "toxic"

• Non-male students pursuing advanced degrees constantly feel the need to prove their credibility and knowledge

• The study highlights the importance of female mentorship in STEM disciplines to help non-male students navigate the competitive and exclusionary culture

The study mentions that in the United States at least, female international students are more likely to enroll in engineering disciplines than their domestic counterparts. This particular fact along with the low enrollment of non-male students in engineering, are things that I have noticed in my own life. Additionally, in my experience, most math-focused courses were taught by male faculty members which might indicate the discrepancy in the percentage of male vs non-male participants in math-focused disciplines extends beyond the student side of academia. Something I hope to see in my lifetime is a reduction in the percentage gap, both in the student and faculty arenas. 

While I agree with the study's suggestion that female mentorship is essential for success of non-male students in the STEM discipline, I strongly feel that there is an increased need for strong mentorship roles across the STEM field to pacify the competitive nature and focus on success and growth without the toxicity for all participants.

- SV   
Sep 19, 2024

What did I do this summer? 🤔

Lidar stuff
As the post below summarizes the beginning of my first lidar project, I wondered if the results seen in the difference map can be verified. While I was looking into doing change detection a different way i.e., not via extracting before and after DEMs from point clouds and subtracting one from the other, I came across something called Multiscale Model to Model Cloud Comparison (M3C2). This tool is available as a plugin in CloudCompare - the open source software I use to extract DEMs from lidar point clouds. If I understand it correctly, M3C2 compares computes 'normals' for each point (or groups of points) and estimates change between two point clouds by comparing the normals. In principle this method can highlight change in x and y directions in addition to z. I haven't quantitatively compared the results from DEM subtraction and M3C2, but the areas where change is seen within the compared region seems to be in agreement between the methods.

- SV   
Aug 22, 2024

Lessons Learned from First Time Camping 

Last month, I had my first ever camping experience thanks to the 12-day planetary science field school. I have to preface this by saying this was definitely no where close to a 'terrible' camping experience by any means, especially considering that basically everything we needed was provided for - including wifi! (brought to you by SpaceX's starlink satellite constellation). Some might even consider this 'glamping'. Although I'm not a regular camper, the word 'glamping' typically makes me think it involves at the very least an RV or an above average size camper that is temperature controlled and/or sealed from the elements. So I would put this somewhere between camping and glamping.

With that being said, there definitely were a couple of nights that were far from ideal. It isn't particularly great when the first night is the worst - which is exactly what happened. As soon as we parked our vehicles and got out, it started snowing as if it were right on cue. And here I was thinking we had gotten away from the cold weather in Canada. Semi-luckily I packed for cold weather but not particularly well for cold and wet weather. In retrospect, the ski pants I bought for tubing would've been perfect for the first night. Even though I had my brand new $5 poncho that kept me mostly dry and layers underneath for warmth,  I didn't have my gloves handy which was probably the worst part. Well that and I was wearing soft, definitely not waterproof pajamas to travel in comfort. Lesson? Keep waterproof gloves handy, don't wear PJs or invest in a poncho that covers the bottom half of your body.

The next major inconvenience started the next morning and lasted basically the entire duration of the trip. I'm still not a 100 percent sure what caused it but I'm guessing it's most likely a combination of the dry climate and doing lots of tasks that involved my hands, which led to my nails starting to split from my fingers. I specifically blame the rolling up of sleeping bad, sleeping pad and tent up every morning. I usually carry hand cream with me since I tend to dry up my hands by washing them too much but too much moisturizer meant greasy hands - which to most guys is a bigger problem than one would imagine. To be honest the hand cream didn't seem to be helping all that much but perhaps it kept the situation from getting worse. I eventually ended up digging into the first aid kit and found some medical tape to wrap up my fingertips, which seemed to be a better solution. The lesson here is to always carry medical/climber's tape. 

It goes without saying that food is obviously a huge deal and packing the right kind of food can make or break your camping experience, especially if you're camping for multiple days. Thankfully, the longest we went without grocery shopping was two days so any sort of mishaps that involved meals didn't mean I had to starve. Plus we always had extra food if it ever came to that. The first mistake I made was purchasing microwaveable instant ramen. I figured since we'd have hot water I should be fine. But if the instructions don't explicitly say that you could put boiling water, they don't turn out particularly well. 

- SV
June 5, 2024

Solar Eclipse 2024

The August 2017 eclipse was my first experience of a solar eclipse. However it was only a partial eclipse (around 80%) for  our location at the time, outside DC. None of us bothered to travel far enough to experience totality because the only thing I knew at the time about a total eclipse was that it gets almost as dark as night time - dark enough to see stars for a brief period. But knowing what I know now, about the beauty and frequency of total solar eclipses, I'd like to think that I would have made an effort to watch the totality. Regardless, it was still an awesome experience. Especially when the eclipse reached the local maximum, as there was a significant change in the brightness all around you. It was an eerie feeling but I couldn't quite understand why, given that there has to be a point during sunrises and sunsets or during cloudy skies, where the surroundings have similar brightness without the eeriness. 

I wouldn't find the answer until last week when we experienced the same conditions when the sun was around 80% covered. I'm not totally (or should I say totality) sure but I think it may be the reduction in brightness combined with the fact that there is still something very bright in the sky casting sharp shadows on the ground, which you don't see during sunrises, sunsets or cloudy skies. Speaking of cloudy skies, we started planning nearly a couple of months is advance to catch the totality this time around. After reviewing the eclipse path and the historical cloud conditions, I booked an airbnb in Toledo, OH since it is in the path of totality and historically speaking, it is 10% less likely to be cloudy south of Lake Erie. Did it turn out that way? Of course not! As we were checking the forecast frantically everyday starting two weeks before the eclipse, Toledo still seemed like a sound choice since there is more driving room if the conditions were to worsen. But as fate would have it, the forecast wasn't promising anywhere within 6-8 hours of driving distance from Toledo. But upon becoming the weather experts that we were the night before, we decided to stay put despite clouds, since we realized the cloud thickness shouldn't be too obstructive for viewing. 

Sure enough the perfectly clear skies before the eclipse, started getting more and more cloudier as the time was approaching. However, as predicted, the clouds weren't too thick so they didn't ruin our viewing experience completely. I also made sure to carry my telescope with a solar filter so that helped us get some really good views. 

All in all, it was an awe-inspiring experience! The moment of totality was better than any of the pictures and descriptions I had seen or heard during the weeks prior, even considering I was doing a lot of eclipse outreach for Cronyn. Nothing had prepared me for the brief but beautiful phenomenon in the sky and it makes me think of how fortunate we are to be living at a time when our moon is at the perfect distance to block just the right amount of the Sun to put on such a mesmerizing show in the sky. I only wish it wasn't so short and so rare. 

- SV
Apr 17, 2024

Field Trip to the Denver Basin

Apart from brief visits to local outcrops in central PA, there is only one experience that I can think of that would count as a field experience - a visit to the Denver basin in Colorado in spring of 2017, for a 'Geobiology' course. Unsurprisingly I don't remember any specifics from the course apart from a few things I learned during the trip itself. 

The four day excursion began with our arrival in Denver where we didn't do a whole lot the first evening except for getting dinner and shopping for some essentials. After chatting with my classmates most of whom were geology majors, I realized how unprepared I was for the trip as I didn't know we were supposed to have hiking boots. Fortunately though since we were visiting one cold region while living in another, I did pack the essentials to keep me warm and the winter-proof hybrid boots I wore everyday somehow got me through some harsh hikes. 

We began our first field day by visiting the Red Rocks park to look at the rocks from the Jurassic period. I remember looking at the strangest looking outcrops I have ever seen. The brick red colored rocks were extruded at an angle of nearly 30 degrees if I remember correctly. I also remember looking at a geologic period boundary although I don't recall what periods the boundary was dividing (may have been C-T?). The change in the periods was visibly evident however since the you could easily make out where the structure of the rocks begin to change. We then walked over to the amphitheater next and I was impressed by how they converted a natural formation into a large venue, seemingly while preserving the natural part of it. 

- SV
Oct 19, 2023

Igneous Rocks

Since it's been a quite a few years since the last time I took a geology course, I figured it's time for a refresher. I' am doing a PhD in 'Geology' after all. TAing the first year 'Earth Rocks' course has been serving that purpose along with teaching me new things about rocks.  

And since both planetary bodies I'm interested in studying - Mars and the Moon exhibit evidence of extensive volcanism, I figured I'd recap what I learned while teaching the course's igneous rocks lab for this blog post.

Igneous rocks are rocks produced through the crystallization of magma. Magma comes form decompression or hydration melting of subsurface material. Although magma and lava may be construed to be the same thing, magma contains gases and exists underneath the surface - it becomes lava when it becomes exposed and the gases escape. 

There are two types of classification based on the origin of the rock - intrusive and extrusive. Intrusive rocks also known as plutonic rocks can be thought of as rocks that form underneath the surface where as extrusive rocks or volcanic rocks form when magma extrudes on to the surface to become lava.

Igneous rocks are further classified into categories based on their texture and composition. They can either be:
aphanitic, phaneritic or glassy depending on the texture and either felsic, intermediate, mafic or ultramafic based on their composition. 

- SV
Sep 28, 2023

TAing Essay Courses

The only experience I've had as a teaching assistant (TA) so far has been with first/second year essay courses. Based on my experience I've put together a short list of things to keep in mind if you happen to end one TAing one, but some of these tips could apply for any course.

• Ask the instructor for up to date grading material such as answer keys and rubrics. If you aren't provided with these resources, the next tip becomes much more important.

• Make a group chat with the other TAs. It seems typical for essay courses to have multiple TAs and so it is likely that one or more of them have taught the course previously. They may also have grading materials from previous terms which can be modified and reused especially if the assignments haven't changed since. Group chats help keep everyone on the same page.

• Read through the instructions provided to the students from the perspective of a first year student. If part of the instructions seem unclear, discuss with your fellow TAs before addressing the issue.

• Utilize email, forums and announcements. Depending on the course, you may have access to any of these ways of communicating with students. Making an announcement or forum post on OWL to address and issue or provide clarification would prevent an onslaught of individual emails regarding the same issue.

• Make sure you start grading soon after the submission deadline. Marking essays is one of the most time consuming things I've done as a TA so it certainly helps to not put it away till the last minute especially when you have dozens of them get through.

• Follow a pre-established rubric for grading essays and essay type questions. 

- SV
Sep 14, 2023

Why watch Oppenheimer in IMAX?

I'm not a movie nerd by any means but I am a huge fan of Christopher Nolan's work. I often claim that Interstellar is my favorite movie and I sometimes go as far as to say that it is the greatest movie of all time, although I cannot articulate why that is. 

Nolan's movies are typically long and mind-bendy, but are definitely worth the experience. He is also known to be one of the few filmmakers who prefers the use of practical effects over CGI as much as possible and he still captures his movies on film cameras rather than using digital formats. I won't pretend to fully understand the intricate details behind his filming process but he claims that the 70mm IMAX reel captures and displays the movie in vivid color and detail unmatched by the modern digital cameras. But the problem with film, particularly IMAX film is that a 70mm reel can weigh as much as 600lbs and can be as long as 11 miles! This makes it very challenging to produce and distribute multiple copies of the reel to theatres all around the world. Not to mention with the amount of preparation, maintenance and skilled labor the film reel and the projectors take to operate, no wonder most movie theatres have moved over to the digital projection formats for at least over a decade now. 

It is not often that I watch movies in theatres nor do I get excited enough to spend the time and money to see one but having seen many of Nolan's films in IMAX, I certainly understand why movie enthusiasts recommend watching his movies in their true intended format of 70mm IMAX film. But unfortunately there are apparently only 30 theatres in the world that are currently showing Oppenheimer in that format. 

Thankfully most if not all movies are digitized to match the projection capability of most movie theatres so one doesn't have to miss out on a movie entirely because their local theatre cannot show the original format. 

- SV
Jul 26, 2023

I Believe I can Fly

The closest I've ever been to taking a flight lesson was when I was accepted to Embry Riddle for undergrad in aerospace engineering I suppose. I didn't end up going there nor studying aerospace engineering but after that I haven't given much thought to learn how to fly. 

I don't even remember for how long I've wanted to learn. But I distinctly remember the only time I've experienced being in a commercial flight simulator. I must've been around 9 or 10 years old when I accompanied some relatives to the local flight academy where they simulated a brief demonstration of takeoff and landing of a commercial passenger airplane. I had never been a real airplane before nor would I be in one for another 5 years or so, but I was mesmerized by how small and different everything 'looked' from high up in the skies. I remember the night views were even more spectacular. After that experience I hadn't given much thought about taking flight lessons until I was doing my undergrad. I didn't even know anyone could learn how to fly and that you didn't necessarily have to be in school to become a full fledged commercial pilot. I may have mentioned my desire to a few people but I don't think I gave the idea enough afterthought upon learning that it can be quite expensive to learn.

The first time revisited the idea and gave it some serious consideration was about a year or so ago when I finished my masters degree. I was also working at a space museum at the time where I'd run into people with varying levels of flight experience who'd share their experiences and advise. All of them were encouraging and most suggested at least taking a discovery flight where you'd get to experience a brief flight as a 'co-pilot' in a small aircraft - typically the kind you'd train in to get your private pilot's license, to determine if you'd actually want to start taking lessons.

Upon doing some further research I learned that as an international student in the US, I'd need to first pay for a background check before I could start taking flying lessons and from what I understood, although the procedure was conducted by a general governing authority, it was specific to one location/school. Meaning if I were to relocate to another place in the US I'd have to redo the background check for the new location and pay the fees again if I remeber correctly. This was around the time I was beginning to hear back from PhD programs I had previously applied to, none of which were in the place where I was staying then, so I'd thought I can start thinking about it once I start my PhD journey.

The thought of taking flying lessons was pushed to the back of my head once again, making sudden but brief appearances to the forefront every now and then since I moved here to London. I remember looking up flight schools in the area once I had learned I'd be moving here and being surprised to see there were quite a few options, including a at least three different airports within an hours drive. I revisited the idea a little more seriously when I heard that Fanshawe has a well known aviation program.

- SV
Jun 21, 2023

A Series of Fortunate Events

I can't recollect if there was a specific moment in my childhood that solidified my goal of studying something 'space-related' but the inclination was there for as long as I can remember. My parents certainly fueled my interest by providing me with every opportunity they could, to cultivate that interest into passion. One of these opportunities came in the form of space camp, while I was in high school. It was the first time I'd left my country and little did I know then that I was about travel halfway across the world to what would become a significant time and location in my academic journey. 

As I mentioned, by this time I already had a strong interest towards space exploration but attending space camp had instilled in me a strong desire to study in the United States. I had acquired a taste for a kind of education that I had never experienced before - everything was hands on and fun! I got to take part in simulated space missions, build and launch model rockets, design heat shields among many other things. I remember thinking this is how education should be and wanting to work harder towards achieving my goal. So about a year later I applied for aerospace engineering programs across the US and started my undergraduate career at Penn State as an engineering major. I didn't know at the time what exactly aerospace engineering was but that was the only major which had the word 'space' in it so I jumped right towards it. 

After waiting a good while for the 'space' part to show up in my classes, I did some exploring and found out that what I really wanted to study was astronomy and luckily there was an astronomy and astrophysics department at Penn State. I was tempted to switch to the astrophysics major but engineering had scared me away from physics part at least for the moment. So I chose the only other major the department offers - planetary science and astronomy. I began to enjoy the classes again and decided to minor in astrobiology along the way since the prospect of there being life outside Earth always fascinated me as well. While I always chalked up my academic struggles to choosing the 'wrong' major, I hadn't realized that merely changing my major wouldn't magically make my problems disappear. Despite all the shortcomings of my undergraduate experience, I learned to seek help when I need it and to push through even when I don't feel like it. 

- SV
Mar 28, 2023

I, Chat GPT

By this point, I'm sure many of you have heard of ChatGPT - a powerful and versatile tool that can help with everything from generating text to answering complex questions. However, you might be wondering what it's like to actually use ChatGPT for the first time. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at what it's like to dive into the world of ChatGPT and explore some of the key features that make it such a valuable tool.

First of all, let's start with the basics. ChatGPT is a type of machine learning model that's designed to generate human-like text based on a given input. Essentially, you can think of it as a highly advanced chatbot that can respond to a wide range of queries and questions. But unlike traditional chatbots that rely on pre-programmed responses, ChatGPT can actually learn from the input it receives and generate new responses on the fly.

So, what's it like to use ChatGPT for the first time? Well, the experience can vary depending on the specific application you're using it for. If you're using a pre-built ChatGPT model, then you'll likely be interacting with a chatbot that's been specifically designed for a certain purpose (e.g. customer service, personal assistance, etc.). In this case, you'll simply need to type in your queries or questions and wait for the bot to generate a response.

If, on the other hand, you're using a more general-purpose ChatGPT model, then you'll have a bit more flexibility in terms of what you can ask. For example, you might try asking for a joke, a fun fact, or even a philosophical musing. And because ChatGPT is designed to generate human-like responses, you might be surprised by just how engaging and insightful some of the responses can be.

Of course, there are some limitations to what ChatGPT can do. Because it's based on machine learning algorithms, it's only as good as the data it's been trained on. So while it can generate responses to a wide range of questions and queries, it may not always be accurate or completely on topic. Additionally, because it's a text-based tool, it may not be ideal for certain types of queries (e.g. those that require visual or auditory information).

Despite these limitations, however, ChatGPT is still an incredibly powerful tool that can be used in a wide range of applications. Whether you're looking to build a more advanced chatbot for your business, or simply want to explore the capabilities of machine learning and AI, ChatGPT is definitely worth checking out. And who knows - you might just be surprised by the depth and breadth of its knowledge and insights!

- SV or is it?
Feb 14, 2023

Guide to Having a 'Fair' Conference Experience

Hello Earthlings! Welcome to my grad school journey (again) and into the part of my mind that's responsible for many of my 'space thoughts'. This time, I'm thinking about conferences.

Conferences in the STEM field typically tend to be week-long events where people from a particular field congregate in order to exchange ideas, present their research, network with their peers, learn about new developments, address problems and gauge the general direction their field is heading in.  

The number of conference attendees can range anywhere from a couple of hundred to thousands of people, so it can be easily overwhelming for someone who's attending one for the first time and doesn't know what to expect. But in my opinion, the experience of attending a conference can be vital for someone that is as early as in their upper level of a STEM undergraduate degree, especially if they're considering graduate school. 

First time conference experience can be similar to attending a county fair, if it's a small conference, or like going to Disney World, if it's a particularly large one. Just like a fair or a theme park, there are going to be lots of things you would want to do while you're there but only a limited time to do them. In either case, it's important to plan ahead. Registering for a conference should be the first thing on your to-do list. Early preparation not only lets you take advantage of the cheaper registration rates, it would also give you ample time to secure funding from your advisor, department or even apply for a grant, and make arrangements for your travel and stay. Taking into consideration your health, travel requirements and/or funding, you could opt to attend most conferences online, especially since the start of the Covid pandemic. The next item would be to submit an abstract if you intend on presenting your work. The deadline to submit an abstract typically closes months before the conference starts. 

Thankfully, conference schedules are released weeks, if not months, in advance so there's ample time to plan ahead. The conference schedule is typically divided into series of several 8-10 minute talks in multiple concurrent 45-minute to hour-long sessions, keynote presentations, poster sessions at the end of the day, and exhibit stations. While it is not necessary to attend every day of the conference and may in fact be cheaper to only attend one or two days, it can be beneficial to attend all, provided that your time and funding are flexible. Regardless of how many days you plan to attend, it is however important to note the dates and times of the sessions you are most interested in attending. If you are presenting your work at the conference, it goes without saying that you must prioritize your own session before planning on attending others. Since these sessions are grouped by individual subtopics, it will be beneficial for you to network with other presenters in your own session. Deciding what other sessions to attend depends on what you're looking to gain from the conference. But it is advisable to attend at least one keynote presentation and one session outside your purview.

- SV
Nov 2022