Astronomy and Astrophysics: Embry-Riddle Student Reaches for the Stars

Astronomy and Astrophysics major Divyeshwari Vansadia (’24) was born and raised in Surat, Gujarat, India. From a young age, Vansadia has been fascinated by the universe and all it entails. Her resume dates back to 2013, when she traveled to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and completed the Astronaut Training Experience, where she joined a crew on a complete spaceflight simulation and trained like an astronaut for a day.

Work as a Citizen Scientist

In 2016, Vansadia began analyzing data sets provided by NASA in collaboration with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) to search for and identify asteroids. With this data, citizens can submit asteroid findings, which are then labeled as provisional or preliminary.

Preliminary discoveries are given to those who are the first to identify an asteroid and are then monitored to identify their orbit. Provisional discoveries are highly sought after and occur once an asteroid’s existence has been confirmed and a reliable orbit is being followed by researchers, usually for many years.

Since 2016, Vansadia has had an impressive total of more than 50 preliminary discoveries under her belt. She has two provisional discoveries (2020 SS68 and 2020 RM 98), a feat that is something to be proud of.

“It was really helpful in just learning about astronomy in general,” she shared of her experiences searching the sky. She also discussed gaining firsthand experience by assisting in teaching and training others on aspects of space science, astronomy, telescopes and detecting asteroids.

Vansadia’s work and discoveries qualify her as a Citizen Scientist for NASA and the IASC.

Attending Embry-Riddle

In 2021, the time came for Vansadia to decide which college to attend. As she researched the universities she had been accepted to in the United States, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University stuck out to her.

“I met with some of the alumni from Embry-Riddle back in India when I was doing an astrobiology workshop, and I learned about the course program and how the courses are designed here,” she remembered her reasoning for choosing Embry-Riddle. “Also, because we are right in Daytona and we are all aerospace, engineering, space, everything is all aviation. It’s highly driven.”

International Student Organization at Embry-Riddle

At Embry-Riddle, Vansadia found her place in the Astronomy and Astrophysics program. She was encouraged to get involved with the International Student Organization (ISO), and upon joining, she noticed the organization had room for growth.

“That’s how I stepped up as president. I was like ‘okay, let’s just do it all over again,’” she shared. “Now, we’ve just rebuilt this year and want to keep growing in any way we are able to, so international students can find their place.”

With an ever-growing community in the International Student Organization, Vansadia says they are able to host more events for international students, connect students with others on campus and assist in practical matters that may be daunting for someone experiencing them for the first time, like travel licenses and insurance.

With the goal of giving international students a platform where they can share their cultures, build a support system among their peers and settle into their new home, Vansadia’s passion for her work in the ISO is only strengthening.

“Embry-Riddle itself, we have a huge number of international students. You look around; everyone is from different countries. It’s very interesting how we can learn about different cultures and different people just by being here,” she said. “That’s the most interesting part, working with so many different students that are coming from different parts of the world and sharing ideas and different perspectives that I might not have thought about earlier.”

Moving Forward and Up

Vansadia has aspirations of not only studying the stars but also one day soaring among them. Last year, she completed an astronaut training program at the Florida Institute of Technology and became a citizen Scientist-Astronaut Trainee, designated by the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), which she did to “advance and move forward in the industry.”

She looks up to Kalpana Chawla, a female Indian astronaut who unfortunately passed away in 2003 during the Columbia STS-107 mission. Chawla has since been honored in the naming of asteroids, spacecraft and much more and is an inspiration to many who have similar dreams.

On top of everything else, Vansadia has been a long-time volunteer for Space Surat, a start-up that is dedicated to bringing STEM and space education opportunities to children and others who may not have access in India. She leads the enrollment team in Surat, her hometown, with a goal of attracting youth to participate in the U.S. program hosted by the organization.

Vansadia’s advice to others considering a similar path is to get as much hands-on experience as possible and that it’s not always going to be easy, but to see it through that phase of difficulty.

“I’m just doing what I’m passionate about.”