Meet the KINSC Director
KINSC Faculty Director and Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Karen Masters
Q&A with the KINSC's Faculty Director, Karen Masters
What is your role in the KINSC?
I am the recently appointed KINSC Faculty Director. I was previously on the Steering Committee a couple of years ago. I am a Professor of Astronomy and Physics.
How long have you been at Haverford College?
I have been at Haverford since January 2018 when I moved here from Portsmouth, UK.
Who has inspired you in your life?
I’m always inspired by people who have gone against all the odds (and societal expectations) to succeed. I can think of many examples of women, especially women of colour, in astronomy (and physics in general) who meet this criteria. For example Vera Rubin, Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Jocelyn Bell. They are all inspiring to me.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Actually I wanted to be an astronomer, or involved in space exploration from quite an early age. Space and astronomy has always fascinated me.
Tell us a little about your academic research.
My research involves trying to learn more about how galaxies in the Universe form and change over time. Timescales for change are (mostly) really long in astronomy, so I take a “population demographics” type approach to this, working with large surveys containing all kinds of measurements and data for sometimes millions of galaxies and use that snapshot of the population to look for correlations which can point to physical processes. I am particularly interested in the impact internal structures (like spiral arms, or galactic bars) have on how galaxies change over time, either by forming new stars, or by moving gas and stars around. I like to work with crowdsourced information about the shapes and types of galaxies from the Galaxy Zoo project.
Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?
I like making things. Most recently I learned how to make cloth face masks with a sewing machine I picked up from my local “Buy Nothing” group. I also enjoy gardening (mostly removing invasive English ivy from my backyard), walking in the woods, and watching Kdramas.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
I really like the Astronomy Library in the Observatory. It’s a beautiful octagonal room with old school bookshelves and a ladder to reach the high shelves. Also all the books are about astronomy, and some are really old or otherwise interesting to look at.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known as a college student?
Your grades won’t matter much in a few years. They might matter a bit to get you to the next step (especially if it’s further study), but in 10 years from now absolutely no-one will care what your GPA is, they will only care about what you actually learned in your classes.
