Kate Whitaker

Prof. Kate Whitaker is an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Talk title: “Discovering Ancient Relics in a Distant Evolved Galaxy”

Abstract: Globular clusters are some of the oldest bound structures in the Universe and thus hold clues to the earliest epochs of star formation and galaxy assembly. However, accurate age measurements of ancient star clusters are challenging due to the age-metallicity degeneracy. In this talk, I will share the discovery of a large population of globular cluster candidates within the ‘Relic’, a massive, evolved galaxy existing only 2.5 billion years after the Big Bang. The Relic is a unique laboratory that enables the first connection between long-lived, high-redshift star clusters and local stellar populations, offering insights into the early stages of globular cluster evolution and the broader processes of galaxy assembly. Through personal anecdotes centered around being a woman, a mother, an astronomer, and a mentor, I will also weave into this story a few of my own lessons learned over the course of my career.