My name is Olivia Lucal and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago majoring in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Currently, I am employed as a Research Assistant through UChicago’s Department of Geophysical Sciences, where I have been coding planetary simulations with the N-body integrator REBOUND in order to study protoplanetary disk evolution and asteroid implantation. Specifically, I have been trying to determine the impact that Jupiter could have had upon the formation of our solar system in regards to the development of the chondrite isotopic variations found throughout the Main Asteroid Belt.

In addition to my research, I also serve as the president of the Ryerson Astronomical Society, UChicago’s premier astronomy club which hosts regular observation nights open to both the college and broader Chicago community. Through our archival work and community-building activities, we seek to spread our love for space and the cosmos to everyone.