{"id":201685,"date":"2024-08-12T16:23:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T02:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=201685"},"modified":"2024-08-12T16:25:05","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T02:25:05","slug":"uh-alumna-life-beyond-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/12\/uh-alumna-life-beyond-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> alumna on search for life beyond Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Megan
Megan Ansdell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not many people can say they search for life on other planets for a living, but University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> alumna Megan Ansdell can. Ansdell grew up in Kāneʻohe<\/span> and earned a PhD<\/abbr> in astrophysics at the UH<\/abbr> Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (IfA<\/abbr>). Today, she works as a Program Scientist at NASA, playing a key role in the development of the Habitable Worlds Observatory<\/a> (HWO<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

\"Artist
The upcoming HWO<\/abbr> mission would search for Earth-like planets; the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system is made up of seven worlds (Image credit: NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ansdell is one of the leading scientists for the future space telescope, which is still in the planning stages. HWO<\/abbr> is expected to be a large ultraviolet, optical, and infrared observatory in space. Its mission will be to search for chemical biosignatures in the atmospheres of nearby Earth-like planets outside our solar system. These biosignatures include gasses such as oxygen and methane, which could be crucial evidence of life.<\/p>\n

“This is one of the fundamental questions that we have: ‘Is there life out there?’” Ansdell said. “If we do potentially detect signs of life on another planet, I think that would actually motivate people to behave more responsibly here on Earth. Whether the answer is ‘yes, it\u2019s common,’ or ‘no, it\u2019s not,’ I would hope that people on Earth would be better stewards of Earth itself.”<\/p>\n

Maunakea astronomy<\/h2>\n

During her five-year graduate studies journey at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, Ansdell made the most of IfA<\/abbr>\u2019s extraordinary opportunities for students, providing her hands-on work inside premier observatories on Maunakea. She says working at the UH<\/abbr>88 telescope was especially memorable.<\/p>\n