James Sikora, a postdoctoral fellow at Bishop’s University, joined the iREx in September 2019. In September 2022, he left iREx to pursue his career as a postdoc at the Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy at the University of Amsterdam where he’ll be continuing to do exoplanet research. He answered a few of our questions about his time at iREx.
What did you like most about your time in Montreal?
As a member of the exoplanet group at Bishop’s University, I spent most of my time in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke. Aside from the wonderful people that I’ve been fortunate to meet and work with during this time, I also enjoyed being close to beautiful lakes and mountainous landscapes. The fall season in the Eastern Townships of Quebec is truly special!
What were the most important projects you led at iREx?
I think the most important and exciting projects I have been leading while a member of iREx have been (1) an upcoming James Webb Space Telescope observing program targeting an unusual hot Jupiter-like planet and (2) a program using the Gemini-North telescope in Hawai’i to collect high-precision radial velocity measurements in order to study a system of very young planets.
An artistic rendition of a really hot Jupiter-like exoplanet similar to the one that will be studied by James and his collaborators. Credit : ATG MEDIALAB, ESA.
What question were you trying to answer in these projects?
In the case of the Webb Telescope observations that are scheduled for November of 2022, we are hoping to help answer questions about the conditions under which clouds form and dissipate within the atmospheres of hot Jupiter-like planets. We will do this by observing a particularly special planet that has a highly eccentric orbit. The distance between the planet and its host star — and hence, the amount of energy absorbed by the planet and its atmosphere — varies dramatically over the course of a single orbit.
Obtaining high-precision radial velocity measurements can allow you to measure an exoplanet’s mass. The vast majority of exoplanets discovered to date are old (i.e., either close in age to the Solar System planets or older). Measuring the masses of very young planets — such as those that we have recently observed using Gemini — can give us important clues about how planets form and evolve. When and to what extent do gas-rich planets shed their outer layers? How quickly do gas-rich planets contract as they cool over time?
What did you discover?
While the Webb Telescope observations have yet to be obtained, recent publicly released data from the telescope has shown that the instruments are performing spectacularly, making us all very excited for our own upcoming observations.
For the high-precision radial velocity measurements of young planets, our preliminary results are in agreement with the current theoretical understanding of how gas-rich planets cool and contract over timescales of hundreds of millions to billions of years. This kind of confirmation provides a key constraint that can be used in models to improve our understanding of planetary formation both outside and within our own Solar System. We are working on a paper that will give more details on this subject. Stay tuned for the full story!
What motivates you in exoplanet research?
What motivates me to do exoplanet research is largely the end product: learning something new that helps to push the boundaries of what we currently know about planetary formation and evolution. However, I am motivated by the whole process of doing observational astronomy; I feel extremely privileged to be able to use amazing, cutting-edge observatories to collect previously unseen measurements that ultimately lead to new discoveries.
Why do you think people should be interested in this kind of work?
I believe that any research that can help us better understand how we as the human species got to where we are today and where we might be headed hundreds or thousands of years from now to be very important and exciting. The diverse landscape of exoplanets discovered so far provides us with important clues that help to guide our fundamental understanding of how planets such as those found in the Solar System form and evolve.
How does your time with us helped you in your new job?
While spending time within iREx, I learned a ton about new and improved methods of analysing observational data sets. Moreover, thanks to help from researchers at iREx and Bishop’s University, I’ve been able to get my hands on a wide range of data that I did not previously have a lot of experience with such as high-precision transit spectroscopy and radial velocity measurements. This has allowed me to greatly expand my skillset in the context of observational exoplanet research, which is already helping me to develop new and exciting paths for my own research moving forward.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
