Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

The pace of discovery of near-earth asteroids outpaces current abilities to analyze them. Knowledge of an asteroid's physical properties is essential to deflect them. I have developed open-source algorithms for classrooms that combine images from robotic telescopes, open-data, and math to determine asteroids' size, rotation, and strength.

I took observations of the Didymos binary asteroid, and my algorithm determined it to be 820m wide, with a 2.26-hour rotation period and rubble-pile strength. I measured a 35-minute decrease in the mutual orbital period after impact by the 2022 NASA DART Mission. External sources validated the findings. Every citizen scientist is now a planetary defender.

The project won the 2023 Youth Astronomy Award of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Biography:

I solve hard intergenerational problems using open science, open data and algorithms. My current focus is on planetary defense against near-earth asteroids by finding unknown asteroids and determining their physical properties. I strongly believe that the best way to learn new things is to undertake 800-1000 hours of focused project-based learning and then teach others.

I participate in hackathons to acquire problem-solving skills through collaborations. I have participated in 40+ hackathons, winning several of them, including becoming the 2020 Global Winner of the NASA SpaceApps Covid-19 Challenge and having been invited by NASA to witness a spacecraft launch.